Comments on: Helicopter Parents

By: The Offhand Band

The Offhand Band — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 17:49:48 +0000

Finding this discussion of helicopter parenting, I thought I’d share with you a song I just wrote and recorded about this topic.

I’m participating in SpinTunes, a new challenge-based songwriting contest. The songs for Round 1 have been completed and were just put online a few hours ago. The Round 1 challenge was to write a song from the point of view of a superhero or supervillain, and I’m really pleased with how my entry, “Step Back Swooperman,” turned out.

As you’ll see, it’s basically a critique of helicopter parenting (and, by extension, the superhero myth in general). I believe pretty strongly in progressive parenting and often try to incorporate it into my songwriting, as I did with The Offhand Band’s first album, “Everyone’s Invited” — http://theoffhandband.com/2008/11/everyones-invited/ — Critiquing parents who swoop in far too much seemed an ideal topic for me to explore for this round of the SpinTunes contest.

You can listen to and download “Step Back Swooperman” for free at http://theoffhandband.com/2010/06/step-back-swooperman/ where you can also read along with the lyrics and find out about how I wrote the song.

I’m trying to get word out about the song especially in the next few days, because although contest results will be determined by a panel of judges, ties will be broken via the Popular Vote poll that will be up for the next few days in the right sidebar at SpinTunes — http://spintunes.blogspot.com/ — A strong showing for this song would seem a great way to help raise awareness about progressive parenting ideas. Anyone interested can simply vote for The Offhand Band – Step Back Swooperman in the poll.

Keep up the good and important work.

By: Carla

Carla — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 05:16:00 +0000

I appreciate this article. While I’m still in the early years where helicoptering is somewhat necessary (my girls are 2.5 yrs and 7.5 months) I spend a lot of time thinking about my changing role as a parent. I am the product of “no rescue” parents and I think it paid off because I learned how to fend for myself. It instilled in me great confidence and a sense of self-reliance I can always count on. I try to remind myself that my goal is to raise independent and self-sufficient human beings and helicoptering doesn’t really help with that mission. Great topic, thanks for sharing!

By: Anisa

Anisa — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 14:25:25 +0000

I am more aware of when I go in for a rescue now, checking my level of helpfulness or interference. Trusting our children to make good choices is hard but the payoff is worth it. In response to the drop off parent vs letting kids take the bus I defend my choice for drop off. I do not walk my kids into school but merely drop them off. I do find the ride to and from school one of the best places for conversation about their day. They are focused and not distracted by all they need to do once they are home. Staying in tune with what is happening at school and providing them an opportunity to share their joys and sorrows of the day is a great learning time as well.

By: Lisa

Lisa — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 14:18:09 +0000

I do believe that most parents, including me, have landed our rescue helicopters at school on one or more occasions. I think there are levels of helicopter parents; low rescue, medium rescue and high rescue. Thanks to Mr. Cowart’s insightful article, I am going to attempt to go from medium(ish) to low. Just last night, my 5th grader left one of his homework assignments in school. My gut reaction was to jump in the car, drive to school up the street, and let him go to his classroom to get his homework but…I stopped myself. He will have to face the consequences of not having brought his homework home and will hopefully learn from it.

By: Susan K.

Susan K. — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 04:33:24 +0000

I wholeheartedly agree with Prinicpal Cowart. At our elem. school (Barr Public Schools) I would love to see the endless line of parents in cars dropping off children before school (fewer pick up for some reason) stop, point blank. We have excellent bus service except for those of us who live “too close” to school and hence walk or cycle or drive. I am convinced that the dropper-off’rs do so just so their child doesn’t have to be on time for a bus, doesn’t have to get damp or chilly waiting for a bus, or just because they themselves can’t be on time for the bus! The amount of gas used by all those SUVs idling in the drop off line (let alone emissions released) makes me crazy – global warming right smack in our neighborhood! And if the drop off parents don’t think their child will enter the school front door successfully without them driving them within 15 feet of it…how will these children ever find their own way anywhere? Usw the bus! Wave goodbye! They will be okay!