Running Head: HELICOPTER PARENTS

Helicopter Parenting
Nadine Akershoek
4145259
COMM1133 - 51
Professor Patricia Crick
Niagara College Canada
December 8, 2016

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Helicopter Parenting

As much as most parents are overprotective, there is a limit to when it becomes too much.
Overprotective parents can be very beneficial in a child's life but there could very well be some downfalls
to "over parenting." Being a parent that is always there for their children is one thing, but aiding them
with every single situation that they go through is not always the best route. When researching, the found
definition of a helicopter parent is an "overly involved and protective [parent] who constantly
communicates with their children, intervene in their childrens affairs, make decisions for their children,
personally invests in their children's goals, and removes obstacles their children encounter" (Odenweller,
Booth-Butterfield & Weber, 2014, p. 408). When looking more closely into the research around
helicopter parents, it is shown that helicopter parents can positively affect the academic success of their
children, positively affect the forming of their childrens character, but can negatively affect their
childrens mental health.
Firstly, when researching more on the topic of helicopter parenting, it was found that
overprotective parenting is more beneficial for children when the children are younger and are starting to
develop. Helicopter parents can positively affect the forming of their childrens character. As Schriffin et
al. (2014) stated in an article, parental involvement in childrens lives facilitates healthy development
(p. 548). Parents are childrens initial teachers before anyone else, and having a parent who is well
involved has showed more positive than negative effects, especially at a young age for children,
indicating that parental involvement (e.g., cuddling, talking, and reading to children) is crucial in
achieving optimal child outcomes (Schriffin, et al., 2015, p. 2322). Resulting that if children who
experience [poor] environments early in life have been found to have physical, cognitive, and social
delays including mild cognitive impairments and attention deficits (Schriffin, et al., 2015, p. 2322). This
example concludes that over parenting is a very positive characteristic to help with the development of
children. With this, another positive to helicopter parenting includes how helicopter parents can positively
affect the academic success of their children.

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Secondly, helicopter parents can positively affect the academic success of their children. A lot of
research has been conducted on how helicopter parenting can actually aid childrens prosperity within
their schooling. To support this positive effect, a study that reviewed nearly every randomized,
controlled intervention [parenting] intended to increase childrens intelligence from birth through
kindergarten found that those [parents] who participated in interventions, [their children] scored an
average of 4-7 points higher than those who did not on tests of intelligence at the end of the intervention
period (Schriffin, et al., 2015, p. 2323). This conducted case study has proved that parents who are
actively involved and provide developmentally appropriate structure exhibit greater competence and
academic performance during the school years (Schriffin, et al., 2015, p. 2323). In other research,
Schriffin, et al (2014), also found that young children whose parents are highly involved in their lives
and provide developmentally appropriate structure have better academic outcomes...and fewer behaviour
problems at school (p. 548). Thus stating that parents who are present in a childs life at a young age, can
help with their academic success. It shows that helicopter parents can also help with behavioural
complications that may occur within a school setting. These statements can help show how that helicopter
parents ultimately can aid well within this aspect of a childs life. But, within other research, it is found
that helicopter parents can also negatively affect their children in some ways.
Lastly, the negative aspect that was found within the topic of helicopter parenting, includes that
helicopter parents can negatively affect their childrens mental health. This negative effect is more found
within children who become much older. For the example, college students who reported that their
parents were over-involved and controlling in their lives had lower psychological well-being and were
more likely to take medications for depression and anxiety (Schriffin et al., 2014, p. 549). In other
research, Schriffin et al. (2015) found that there is decreased coping skills and increased in anxiety
within college-aged students (p. 2324). Specifically, children of over-involved mothers have been found
to exhibit higher levels of internalizing problems than other children (Schriffin et al., 2014, p. 548).
Depression/anxiety are just two examples of internalizing problems that can occur with children when
the children have overbearing mothers. Within much research, there are countless comments and

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investigations on how over-parenting can negatively affect the mental illness of their children, mostly, on
their college-aged children, which then supports the idea of how helicopter parents can negatively affect
the mental illness of their own children.
In conclusion, helicopter parents can positively affect the development of their children,
positively affect their childrens schooling success, but can negatively affect their childrens mental wellbeing. Thus, although being an overprotective parent is very helpful, it can also have some negatives that
come along with it. As much as parents want to aide their children with everything they go through, at
times it is a good idea to let them figure it out on their own. Just as Schriffin, Godfrey, Liss, & Erchull
(2015), would agree, that it is likely that there is an optimal range of parental involvement that promotes
positive child outcomes. However, it is not clear that more and more involvement is better for children
once some threshold level of involvement has been reached (p. 2322).

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References

Odenweller, K. G., Booth-Butterfield, M., & Weber, K. (2014). Investigating Helicopter Parenting,
Family Environments, and Relational Outcomes for Millennials. Communication Studies, 65(4),
407-425. doi:10.1080/10510974.2013.811434
Schiffrin, H., Godfrey, H., Liss, M., & Erchull, M. (2015). Intensive Parenting: Does it Have the Desired
Impact on Child Outcomes?. Journal Of Child & Family Studies, 24(8), 2322-2331.
doi:10.1007/s10826-014-0035-0
Schiffrin, H., Liss, M., Miles-McLean, H., Geary, K., Erchull, M., & Tashner, T. (2014). Helping or
Hovering? The Effects of Helicopter Parenting on College Students' Well-Being. Journal Of Child
& Family Studies, 23(3), 548-557. doi:10.1007/s10826-013-9716-3