What Does the Term Helicopter Moms Mean to You? The term “helicopter moms” or “helicopter parent” is strange to me. I’ve never been called one (at least not to my face). Still, I hear the label thrown around quite a bit in what seems to be a derogatory effort to label moms. I’m not a big fan of people trying to label moms and parents. In fact, I despise it.
OAKLAND COUNTY MOMS BLOG ENTRIES
I also think the term means different things to different people. I’m not sure when the helicopter mom or helicopter moms tag became en vogue but if moms are going to be branded; I want to know what it means.
Helicopter Moms
I was having lunch with a friend of mine who is a high school teacher in a local school district. She says an example of helicopter moms are parents that fight the battles of their kids when their child doesn’t receive a decent grade. She told me that plenty of teachers have stories about helicopter parents swooping in and chastising teachers about why their AP son or daughter “only got a B+” when they “surely” deserved an A.
To me, the helicopter moms definition was invented by hipsters (hey, I can label too) as an effort to chide parents who “over-parent” or are “too protective” of their kids. The people doing the labeling tend to remember “the good old days” where kids didn’t wear helmets to skateboard and hazing or bullying helped “build character.”
I don’t think they understand that parenting now can be a double-edged sword. If I have my kids wear their helmets to ride their bikes – I’m a helicopter mom. If they don’t wear their helmets – I’m an idiot providing an unsafe environment for my son and daughter. Moms can’t win.
I have yet to hear the term used in a flattering light and I’ve never heard another mom admit that they were a helicopter mom.
I can see where a teacher would scoff at a parent who would question a grade but isn’t a parent being more involved “nowadays” better than the days where parents might not have been involved at all? Would the teachers rather have parents that didn’t give a bleep about their kids? Wouldn’t everyone be better off in the long run with a parent questioning a correct educational approach to maximize the abilities of a child?
Sure, there is a danger to over-protecting children but I’m not opposed to extra care and extra effort being thrown into parenting when I compare it to the alternative of not caring enough or letting kids go completely unsupervised. I grew up when the Oakland County Child Killer was on the loose. Don’t tell me I shouldn’t be concerned about potential dangers. I don’t wrap my kids in bubble wrap before sending them out to play and I don’t know any moms that do. If being actively involved in my child’s upbringing makes me a helicopter mom, so be it.
What Does the Term Helicopter Moms Mean to You?
