Whoop, whoop, whoop, Helicopter Parents

When did we (as a culture) decide to sterilize, over-dramatize and hover over every aspect of our children's environment?  It didn't happen overnight, it was a slow progress, starting in the 90's that eventually led us to the overprotecting and overinvesting moms and dads of today.

Fear of danger: We can kind of understand this although let's be rational. We're not talking about car seats, seat belts and bike helmets here; these are the rational side and we need these. We are speaking of parents who lobby to remove the jungle gyms from playgrounds and schools who have the kids "pretend to jump rope" instead of actually using real ropes because "some children are more uncoordinated than others".

Fear of failure: Again, not talking about helping your child with homework or coaching the little league. You know, the parents who insist that their elementary-school kids start working on college prep or produce a full blown campaign video for their 3rd graders run for class president. Every toy they own has to be educational. And what about the organized team program who insists that they tell the kids on the team who didn't win the game, that they didn't lose, they just came in second.

You really want your children to succeed? Learn when to leave them alone. Let them be creative, inventive and use their imaginations on their own. Let them try to problem solve for themselves. Take the knee-pads off your baby and let them play in the dirt sometimes. Too much hovering can produce anxious and unadventurous children. Keep them safe but dial down the irrational stuff....balance Daniel-san.

Macrobiotic cupcakes anyone?