{"id":11430,"date":"2011-07-12T15:48:55","date_gmt":"2011-07-12T22:48:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/momservations.wordpress.com\/?p=11430"},"modified":"2011-07-12T15:48:55","modified_gmt":"2011-07-12T22:48:55","slug":"signs-you-might-be-a-helicopter-parent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/momservations.com\/index.php\/2011\/07\/12\/signs-you-might-be-a-helicopter-parent\/","title":{"rendered":"Signs You Might be a Helicopter Parent"},"content":{"rendered":"

Momservation: <\/strong>You just might be a helicopter parent if you\u2019re figuring out ways to casually pop-in on your kid three hours away at sleep-away camp in the Sierra Mountains cause you \u201chappened to be in the neighborhood.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u263a\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u263a\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u263a\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
pic courtesy of kvki<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I\u2019ve come to a stark realization this week.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m a helicopter parent. I\u2019ve become that parent<\/em> that I swore I\u2019d never be and hated dealing with when I taught 5th<\/sup> grade.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s how Wikipedia defines it:<\/p>\n

Helicopter parent<\/strong> is a colloquial, early 21st-century term for a parent who pays extremely close attention to his or her child’s or children’s experiences and problems, particularly at educational institutions.<\/p>\n

Do you think trying to change your daughter\u2019s group for sleep-away camp before they even get on the bus because she\u2019s doesn\u2019t seem comfortable with them counts as a helicopter parent?<\/p>\n

What about thinking of driving up to the camp, 100+ miles away, to bring warmer clothes because the weather forecast changed?<\/p>\n

How about contemplating breaking the rules by sending up a cell phone with a parent bringing their kid to camp late, just so you can call and check to make sure they\u2019re having fun and like the food?<\/p>\n

I know. I need to call the control tower and report my flight plan.<\/p>\n

I first heard the term \u201chelicopter parent\u201d used about parents of college age children who continued to be heavily involved in their children\u2019s lives and even solving their problems for them despite them reaching adulthood and moving away.<\/p>\n

I thought these parents were ridiculous and doing their kids a serious disservice in learning responsibility, accountability, and independence, as well as stunting their growth.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ll tell you what. If I don\u2019t land this chopper soon go ahead and sew a big red \u201cR\u201d for ridiculous on my shirt.<\/p>\n

I guess I\u2019m taking the first steps to reforming myself because I recognize the problem. But for those of you who may not recognize your own flight pattern over your children, here\u2019s a helpful list:<\/p>\n

Signs You Might be a Helicopter Parent<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. You run out on a field of play during a time-out to apply sunscreen.<\/li>\n
  2. You want a syllabus at Back-to-School night to see what projects you\u2019ll be working out this year.<\/li>\n
  3. You think the joke of wanting to wrap your kid in bubble wrap is really not that bad of an idea.<\/li>\n
  4. You\u2019ve never thought twice about bringing a forgotten lunch, book, homework assignment, or class project left on the counter to your child at school as soon as you discover it. With a note attached: \u2665 u, Mom<\/li>\n
  5. When your child complains about their teacher, you volunteer to \u201chelp\u201d in the classroom under your policy of \u201ckeep your friends close, your enemies closer.\u201d<\/li>\n
  6. You will not let your child have a play-date (side note: you use the term \u201cplay-date\u201d) with someone whose mom serves unhealthy snacks like trail mix with m&m\u2019s.<\/li>\n
  7. Your kid can\u2019t hear what the coach is telling them to do because of your yelling from the stands (actually, that\u2019s a sign of an obnoxious parent).<\/li>\n
  8. If your child is not cool with you seeing them naked and you still put toothpaste on their toothbrush for them.<\/li>\n
  9. Your child has had a smart phone since kindergarten and checks in with you at snack recess.<\/li>\n
  10. You\u2019ve had a doctor tell you the \u201crash\u201d is just a red Gatorade mustache. \u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Let\u2019s add to this list! What are your Signs You Might be a Helicopter Parent?<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Mom realizes she needs to come in for a landing because she’s a helicopter parent. Plus, list of Signs You Might be a Helicopter Parent<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,165],"tags":[2,77,483,86,3,5,484,485,6,28,486,487],"class_list":["post-11430","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-parenting-2","category-parenting-humor-2","tag-family","tag-gatorade","tag-helicopter-parent","tag-kelli-wheeler","tag-kids","tag-momservations","tag-overparenting","tag-overprotective-parenting","tag-parenting","tag-parenting-humor","tag-signs-you-might-be-a-helicopter-parent","tag-wikipedia"],"yoast_head":"\nSigns You Might be a Helicopter Parent - Kelli M. Wheeler<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/momservations.com\/index.php\/2011\/07\/12\/signs-you-might-be-a-helicopter-parent\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Signs You Might be a Helicopter Parent - Kelli M. Wheeler\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Mom realizes she needs to come in for a landing because she's a helicopter parent. Plus, list of Signs You Might be a Helicopter Parent\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/momservations.com\/index.php\/2011\/07\/12\/signs-you-might-be-a-helicopter-parent\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Kelli M. 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