Helicopter Parenting

We all know parents can be considered “helicopter parents” because they hover over their children, becoming what many consider too involved in their lives and paying extremely close attention to what happens to them and their day-to-day experiences. Last August, I wrote a post about Tiger Moms and what can be considered successful parenting. So, when I came across this post yesterday in the Washington Post about the benefits of not putting kids under constant pressure, I felt it was worth sharing.

An article published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General by the American Psychological Association, reports that kids who are not under overwhelming pressure to do well all the time are more likely to feel free to explore, take academic chances, and not fall apart if they make a mistake.

In a news release about the article, Autin was quoted as saying: We focused on a widespread cultural belief that equates academic success with a high level of competence and failure with intellectual inferiority. By being obsessed with success, students are afraid to fail, so they are reluctant to take difficult steps to master new material. Acknowledging that difficulty is a crucial part of learning could stop a vicious circle in which difficulty creates feelings of incompetence that in turn disrupts learning.

You can read more of the article over at the Washington Post: Telling students it’s okay to fail helps them succeed

What are your thoughts about letting your kids naturally experience failure vs. always encouraging your kids to expect success all the time?

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