HELICOPTER PARENT
Helicopter parent 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. The term was originally coined by Foster W. Cline, M.D. and Jim Fay in their 1990 book Parenting with Love and Logic: Teaching Children Responsibility, although Dr. Haim Ginott mentions a teen who complains, “Mother hovers1over me like a helicopter…” on page 18 of the bestselling book Between Parent & Teenager published in 1969. Helicopter parents are so named because, like helicopters, they hover closely overhead, rarely out of reach, whether their children need them or not. In Scandinavia, this phenomenon is known as curling2parenthood and describes parents who attempt to sweep3 all obstacles out of the paths of their children. It is also called “overparenting”. Parents try to resolve their child’s problems, and try to stop them coming to harm4 by keeping them out of dangerous situations.
Some college professors and administrators are now referring to “Lawnmower5 parents” to describe mothers and fathers who attempt to smooth outand mow down all obstacles, to the extent that they may even attempt to interfere at their children’s workplaces, regarding salaries and promotions, after they have graduated from college and are supposedly living on their own. As the children of “helicopter parents” graduate and move into the job market, personnel and human resources departments are becoming acquainted with the phenomenon as well. Some have reported that parents have even begun intruding on salary negotiations. An extension of the term, “Black Hawk6parents,” has been coined for those who cross the line from a mere excess of zeal to unethical behavior, such as writing their children’s college admission essays.
(From The Free Dictionary Language)
Notes (notes are mine).
1. Hover: to fly, to float.
2. Curl: to twist, to spiral.
3. Sweep: to eliminate.
4. Harm: to hurt.
5. Lawnmower: a machine used for cutting grass.
6. Hawk: a type of large bird that catches small birds and animals for food.
