photo credit: ~PhotograTree~ via photopin cc
When my son was in elementary school I was a room mother for his class every year. As he got older, I continued to volunteer for different school events and served on the PTA every year he was in school. He was my only child so it was easy for me to do all of this and I had fun doing so. When he was really young, he liked having me up at the school and his little friends thought I was “cool.” I volunteered my time because I had the time and it helped me “keep an eye” on my son. I also built up great relationships with the school staff. But I didn’t smother him or “step-in” when he had small challenges, allowing him to work through those himself. As he got older, he didn’t particularly want me volunteering as much as I had so I eased up, and while still trying to stay involved, gave him his requested space.
I recently heard the word “helicopter” parenting and since I wasn’t familiar with the term, had to look it up.
A helicopter parent is a parent who pays extremely close attention to a child’s or children’s experiences and problems, particularly at education institutions. Helicopter parents are so named because, like helicopters, they hover overhead.
Maureen, from findananny.net sent me some great information on helicopter parents, which with school starting again, I thought was timely….And even though we don’t have kids in school anymore, we do have grandchildren, and I just really enjoyed this article. (It was a great reminder for me on what not to do at times!) And even if you don’t have children of your own, if you have children in your life (aunt, grandma, etc.), this has some great tips.