6 Signs That You're a Helicopter Parent

One of the major parenting challenges is to protect children from everything and raise them successful. It sounds natural, but sometimes parents cross all the boundaries and their care seems to be a bit scary. Helicopter parents become crazy about the safety of their children and will never let them fail. They try to interfere with everything and become control freaks. It sounds scary, and while you think that you're not one of the helicopter moms or dads, you already might be!

#1 You talk to your child's teacher very often. Keeping eye on your child's progress at school is natural, because you want your son or daughter to be successful and use their full potential. But how often do you talk to their teacher and complain, that the homework was too tough? Once a month is OK, but if it's more often, it's really not good.

#2 You actually do your child's homework. When your child only begins their first days at school, it's natural to help them with the homework. But when your 11-year-old daughter has got a project and you're up till 3 AM, because you don't think that she can do that alone, that's a sign of a helicopter parent. You've finished your sixth grade, now let her do that!

#3 You break up fights. Everybody fights, and children are not exceptions. But you don't let your children sort out things themselves, instead of that you stand up and call parents of children who called names of your daughter or hit your son.

#4 You're crazy about safety. You know that your house is safe for your children, however, not all the items, that's why you never let your children help you with cooking dinner or cleaning the house. The knives are too sharp, so kids can cut themselves, and cleaning liquids are too dangerous to let children use them. It also takes you about 30 minutes of safety instructions before you're ready to go for a walk with your children or just let them play on the backyard.

#5 You don't let your children fail. Learning mistakes and failing is one of the inevitable steps on the way to success. But you, as a caring and loving parent, never let your child fail. You do anything not to let this happen, that's why you're always here to help.

#6 You focus on how great your child is. You know, that your child has many traits that should be cultivated, that's why you constantly focus on how they are talented, special and so on. At the same time you close your eyes on any flaws that you child also has. As the result, you develop an inflated sense of self-worth, and your child thinks that they deserve some privileges, because they are so special.

For some parents, being a helicopter parent doesn't seem to be wrong, because they want to give their children all the best what they can. But such parenting won't give the desired results. Children of helicopter parents don't grow up successful and independent people, in fact, they rather have difficulties with cultivating strong relationship with people and dependent on their parents approval and help. And are you a helicopter parent?