How Not to Be a Lawnmower Parent
5 Ways to Kick Your Lawnmower Parenting Ways ASAP
As moms and dads, our first reaction to learning that our children have a problem is to make it better . . . fast. While protecting our brood from harm is a completely normal reaction, it seems that recently we've been going a little overboard. And no, we're not talking about your run-of-the-mill helicopter parent. There's a new unflattering trend in town: lawnmower parenting, and it's arguably 10 times worse than hovering around your kid.
So what exactly is lawnmower parenting? According to a now-viral essay written by a teacher, it's a "troubling trend" where moms and dads do everything in their power to ensure their kids never have to face a stitch of adversary or face a challenge head-on, even if it means cutting out of work mid-day, skipping their hair appointment, or canceling a lunch with friends.
Not sure if you fit the lawnmower parenting profile? Then consider the personal story referenced in the teacher's essay:
"Recently, I was called down to the main office in the middle of my planning period," the teacher explained. "I needed to pick up an item that a parent dropped off for their child. Thinking it was something like an inhaler or money for dinner, I was happy to go retrieve it. When I got to the front office, the parent was holding out a S'well bottle for me."
Who's holding the watter bottle? Her doting dad who stopped by on his way to drop it off, of course.
"'Hi, sorry,' the parent said sheepishly. He was in a suit, clearly headed to work (or something work-like). 'Remy kept texting me that she needed it. I texted back, Don't they have water fountains at your school?, but I guess she just had to have it out of the bottle.' He laughed, as if to say, Teenagers, am I right?"
Sound familiar? If so, scroll through to see how you can nip your lawnmower parenting habits right in the bud. And trust us, your kids will be better off for it in the long run.
1 Let them learn from their mistakes.
2 Allow them to take charge of their own lives starting at a young age.
3 Come to terms with the fact they wouldn't fail out from forgetting their flute one time.
4 Ensure older kids try having the hard conversations first.
5 Just trust them!
