We all want our kids to be happy, safe, and successful. But what if our efforts to protect them are actually holding them back? Over the past few decades, parenting has shifted from helicoptering —hovering close and monitoring every move—to lawnmowering , where parents clear every obstacle in a child’s path. Both come from love, but both send the same subtle message: “You can’t handle this.” And that message can quietly chip away at a child’s confidence and resilience. Helicopter vs. Lawnmower Parenting: Two Sides of the Same Coin Helicopter parents hover overhead—constantly checking where their kids are, who they’re with, and what they’re doing. For years, researchers believed this kind of “monitoring” kept kids out of trouble. But research tells a different story: Only 5% of what parents know about their teens comes from strict monitoring. About 50% comes from kids choosing to share —because they trust their parents. This finding s...
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