Steps To Stop Being A Helicopter Parent

A helicopter parent He is the one who maintains an overprotection over his children. They provide all their needs or desires in order to avoid any physical or emotional harm that could cause them some kind of problem in the future. This definition does not seem to necessarily mean something bad for children, after all, parents would do that and more.

What is the problem with helicopter parents?

The problem appears when parents with the desire to protect them invade the child’s freedom. This manifests itself in all kinds of attitudes, from selecting the friends you must have, the career you must study or avoiding failure.

All this will cause a total dependence on the children. They will not learn to make decisions for themselves and their learning development will slow down.

How to stop being a helicopter parent

If you have already seen and accepted that you are a helicopter parent, now comes the most complex phase: letting go of the reins a bit and leaving this position. It will not be easy because the most normal thing is that your behavior is based on well-founded beliefs.

However, if you really want your children to have a stable life you need to take the following steps:

1 learn to control worry

Parents always worry about our children, and we must take care of them at all times. But as a helicopter parent you must be aware that not all the time you can be worried and aware of your son.

There will be times when you will be at work or doing another activity that involves being away from them. In these situations you must learn to relax and trust that your children will be fine.

You can always leave them in the care of someone you trust if they are very young but stop being on top of them and their caregivers all the time.

2. Allow your children to experience emotions of all kinds

Not everything in life is joy and happiness, therefore, your child must know the negative emotions that he will sometimes experience, such as anger, sadness and afraid . They are part of your life’s learning and it will help you build and strengthen your character.

Just accept it you can’t have it inside a bubble. At some point he will have to learn to deal with negative feelings and it will be better if you teach him that this is natural.

3. Allow your children to make small decisions and responsibilities

Although they are small, we must allow them to make small decisions to stop being a helicopter parent. Even in things as basic as deciding which football team to be a fan of is vital for them.

This helps your child analyze all the options available to him and choose the one that best suits him and with which he is happy.

Also, when your children have committed a fault or have had a fight, you should let them know that they must take responsibility for their actions in case they have caused it and also advise them so that this does not happen again.

4. Don’t label

“You are going to be a scientist” or “you are going to be the best footballer in the world” are labels that we must avoid at all times. These will cause our children a pressure that will transform their dreams into nightmares. They can also be victims of bullying at his school or with his friends by not becoming what you expect.

Do you really want that for your children? Why not let it be what you feel and make you happy?

Stop being a helicopter parent for the sake of the family relationship

We know that your desire is to be the best parent possible. This idea is shared by all good parents but it is also necessary that you learn to set limits towards yourself. paternity .

Don’t forget that your child is an independent being with unique ideas, characteristics, and personality. If you stay in the role of helicopter father you will only be able to undermine that security that he needs. Stay close to him but don’t impose your wishes, frustrations, or fears.