pam-mentations.com

The so-called helicopter parent phenomenon is at least in part due to the helicopter research phenomenon. Parental anxiety might just be created in part by studies and expert advice, talk shows, and school report cards. True, some advice is reassuring and it’s nice to have guide books to turn to. But there sure are a lot of guide books (articles, TV shows, internet sites, radio interviews, parent-teacher conferences). And parents, mothers especially, are under enormous peer-parenting-pressure. Consider the Mommy Wars: whether one ought to breast feed or bottle feed, use cloth or disposable diapers (harm your children or the environment they grow up in), potty-train late or early, spank or don’t spank, visit a speech therapist or wait it out, work or stay at home. And you also need to swat up on your research about global warming, vaccines, politics, and other matters of public import between hockey practices, flu season, meals and menus, and work. Oh, and don’t forget your marriage. And your aging parents. And your relatives. And your friends. Your housework and your cleaning supplies. Be sure to read the labels on your groceries. Check the labels for laundry care when you buy clothes. Have that talk with your kids about … sex, puberty, bullying, internet safety, drugs, stranger danger, don’t touch zones, polite behaviour, homework, friends and why they’re different, why your family is different, why Mommy and Daddy are fighting, that Mommy and Daddy are going to live in different places, and peer pressure. But don’t worry. Your anxiety is harmful to your child. I read that somewhere. Just remember, your child’s future is in your hands and if anything goes wrong — it’s all YOUR fault.