The Effect of Helicopter Parents free essay sample

My own experience with helicopter parents yields a point that is both similar and different. What I take away from my own experience with helicopter parents is that many parents hover over their children because they feel their kids have found things of better interest. As a result, I conclude that helicopter parents are not seen for their benefits but only their downfalls. Parents have good intentions by it is not often seen that way by their own children. Discussing helicopter parents, Carroll states â€Å"your intentions are good, but that rotor of yours is causing a din,† (Carroll 32) which shows his understanding of the positive argument that over-protection is not terrible, but, he leans more towards his opinion that parents of this type have dangerous effects on their children in the long run. Carroll also believes that children are being coddled and protected to an extent which threatens their ability later in life to form positive relationships and profound job skills. Many helicopter parents are over-protective because they possess economic anxiety, stated by Mary Elizabeth Hughes (Carroll 32). They are unable to determine a stable financial future for their children so they prevent them from failing. While helicopter parents are negatively portrayed, it has had many positive effects on children and young adults today. For example, by having constant interaction with parents, a child had built up a relationship with an adult that will later prevent them from being intimidated by their elders. Ultimately, when a child goes to college, they will be more likely to easily build a relationship with their professor and not be hesitant to approach them. Secondly, kids tend to have a closer relationship with their parents because their parents have now become more of a friend to them instead of an authority. Carroll speaks of Mark Gamsjager, saying â€Å"He skateboards and snowboards with his two boys, Austin, 13, and Thomas, 9† (Carroll 32). This type of relationship will be beneficial when Mark’s children grow older because they will have something in common with him and it will continue to keep the relationship close. I have a similar relationship with my parents and it has been nothing but beneficial to me. Eighteen years compared to a lifetime is not very long so it is important that kids develop close relationships with their parents before it is time to move off to college. I am grateful that my father is a helicopter parents because I was able to spend a great amount of time with him before I moved out. Carroll ultimately proves his point that helicopter parents are a negative influence on their children because parents are â€Å"too obsessed with your children. You treat them like little princes and princesses†¦and by the time they get to college and are asked who their hero is, your child will cay those words you long to hear: My dad. My mom† (Carroll 32). One of many reasons why helicopter parenting is a downfall is because students with over-protective parents tend to lack self-reliance and independence once they are on their own. Because everything has been done for them by their parents, many students once in college do not have anyone to fall back on because they are no longer living with their parents. Beverly Low, states â€Å"parents would drop their kids off to college and get out of the way, parents now constantly call her office intervening in a roommate dispute or questioning a professors grading system† (Carroll 32). This prevents kids from having the ability to learn from their own mistakes, which they end up making once they’re on their own and have no idea of what to expect. Many parents claim that the world is more dangerous now than it was in the 1960s and 70s when in many ways; it is safer than ever before. They think this because there are many things in the world today that was not around in the 1960s and 70s so parents have no idea what to expect or how to handle certain situations. Since they think the world is a more dangerous place, they clutch a tight grip and never let their kids out of their sight. Lastly, I believe the leading cause of hovering is due to advancements in uch things as technology. The internet has become more dangerous because kids have access to many inappropriate sites just by searching a subject in Google. Social networking sites are the most used and the most distracting today. Alongside social networking, many children have cell phones and seem to be receiving them at very young ages. I received my cell phone when I was 11, only because I had to take the bus to and from school, but now there are kids that are 6 and 7 walking around school showing off their new iPhone. Cells phones have become very distracting to where kids are using them at the dinner table and even communicating with their parents by text instead of a face to face conversation. This causes parents to be more over-protective because their kids are conversing with them less, and keeping more secrets. Carroll provides a good argument but he does not analyze the benefits to the same extent as he does the downfalls. Furthermore, it is unable to be determined whether or not helicopter parents are good or bad because every child has their own opinion and a majority does not speak for those who disagree. Helicopter parents may or may not realize that they are hovering over their children but it they were taught early on, then there would be less over-protective parents. Also, parents need to learn what they can and cannot do in their children’s lives as they grow older. If parents were guided in the right direction, there would be a decrease in helicopter parenting.