If you “Google” the term “helicopter parenting,” you might be surprised to find that it first appeared in parenting books as early as 1969, referenced by Haim G. Ginott in his writings Between Parent and Child.

A look at education and parenting articles through the decades shows ever-increasing fall-out from helicopter parenting, which has been described as “spoiling” on the mild side and “death-grip parenting” in the extreme. Though well-intentioned, parents must learn to step back and allow children to experience, discover, and yes, fail, on their own.

 

At Colorado Academy, you’ll often hear teachers and principals talk about the value of letting kids fail, letting them experience and accept responsibility and consequences for their actions. We emphasize the importance of those lessons that are learned from getting it wrong and having the humility and perseverance to try again.

 

Experts say the intensity of helicopter parenting continues to increase, and they blame it on parental anxiety and a heightened pressure for children to succeed.  It continues to be a topic for authors, including the likes of Madeline Levine, Wendy Mogel, and Rosalind Wiseman – all who have spoken on our campus as part of CA’s SPEAK lecture program.  And now, from the frontlines of higher education comes a new book called How to Raise an Adult. Author Julie Lythcott-Haims, a former Stanford Dean, explains what she has seen once students get to college, and why she says helicopter parenting is ruining a generation of kids. Here is a review from the Washington Post.