Argumentative Essay On Helicopter Parenting

Decent Essays
Helicopter Parenting: When Good Intentions Turn Sour

When Kate Anderson became a college student, her father threatened to divorce her mother if she didn’t become an economics major. He also micromanaged his daughter’s every move and never let her step out of his hawk-like line of vision (simile). What should have been a four-year degree, turned into a seven-year degree when Kate’s lack of control in her life caused anxiety and a lack of self-confidence. Obviously, this is an extreme example of helicopter parenting, but nonetheless, many of today’s kids and young adults, including myself, are victim to the harmful effects of over-involved parenting. The term “helicopter parent” was first used in 1969 and it wasn’t until 2011 that the term
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From a CNN.com article, we find another argument that stems from the latchkey generation of the 80’s and 90’s. Latchkey kids are children who were left alone after school or on the weekends as their parents worked away from home. A women named Cecily Kellogg, describes that she had some bad experiences as a latchkey kid in her youth but she later explains that “it’s less those experiences that make me feel horrified about letting my daughter go anywhere by herself. It’s more about giving my daughter a different childhood.” These latchkey children grew up and understandably wanted to avoid having their own children feeling the same loneliness and feelings of being ignored. Instead of being the apples that don’t fall far from the tree, they became the apple that rolled down the hill away from their parent’s inattention (allusion). However, no matter the harmless intentions that these parents have, they are inadvertently hurting their children. For example, I personally have felt the effects of helicopter parenting. Both of my parents were sent far away from home to boarding schools when they were younger. They must have felt lonely and neglected from their family’s attention and so became helicopter parents themselves. My parents often tried to do everything for me, making sure I was never alone by constantly keeping tabs on me, and negatively labeling me as lazy or irresponsible when I wasn’t living up to their expectations. Even though I can understand that they tried their best as parents to keep me happy, I unfortunately inherited several characteristics that have prevented me from being successful at times. I have become an

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