As parents, we will always look for our children to be well protected and not missing anything. Surely most can agree with me that one of our concerns is that nothing ever happens to them and avoid situations that may jeopardize their safety.
But we must also remember that we should only accompany and guide our children, as well as give them space to grow and develop, without taking full control of every aspect of their life, as it could even affect them. This is what we can read in a recent study, which found that "helicopter parents" could affect their children's ability to control their emotions.
How are the "helicopter parents"?
Within the upbringing there are different styles of paternity: tiger parents, snowplow parents, poultry, soft parents and helicopter parents, which is the study we will share with you.
Helicopter parents they are those who take the reins of all aspects of the child's life: they intervene every time they have a problem and get too involved in their education, calling their teachers a lot. In general, they are those parents who fall into the overprotection of their children, which although it can prevent or save their children from certain unforeseen events, prevents them from learning to control their behavior, foster their independence and have the ability to make decisions on their own. .
The study
Published in the magazine Developmental Psychology, these results were part of a study that lasted eight years and in which social and emotional development was analyzed at 2, 5 and 10 years of age of the 422 children who participated in it. Data collection was done by observing the interactions between parents and children, receiving reports from their teachers, as well as reports prepared by the children themselves when they turned 10.
It was found that those children with very controlling or overprotective parents were less able to cope with the demands of their growth, especially when in the school environment.
Doctor of Philosophy Nicole B. Perry, who was one of the authors of the study, comments that those children who cannot regulate their emotions and behavior effectively are more likely to manifest it in the classroom, struggling to make friends and in general, difficulties in school.
Of course, no one does things with the intention of harming their children and although helicopter parents have good intentions, doing so prevents children from developing emotional and behavioral skills.
Yes, we as parents must guide our children to learn to control their emotions, but we must also give them space so that they practice and learn to handle them independently.
