What We Already Know about Burnout + Two Knew Facts about Parenting
A new research report from Florida State University concludes that kids with helicopter parents are more likely to burn out. I came across this report while reading the health and wellness section on CNBC. The article title is Kids with ‘helicopter parents’ more likely to burn out, have a harder time transitioning to ‘real world’.
While it’s fairly common knowledge that helicopter parents drive kids nuts, there were two new interesting facts I found fascinating.
- The research found that overbearing fathers cause children to be worse off than overbearing mothers. The research cited the reason for this was due to fathers “violating their child’s expectations of the typical fathering role.”
- Over time helicopter parenting causes kids to feel “like everything they do is for their parents, so they lose any personal motivation to succeed“.
These two findings raise huge red flags for me.
First off, I’m a sports dad who is a recovering overbearing parent. Although I work hard each day to give my two sons space and tame my overbearing urges, I still worry about if I’m getting it right.
Secondly, I have a passion for learning how to develop and influence a child’s self-motivation. I recently created an assessment to help youth, athletes tap into their self-motivation. The fact that helicopter parenting is a factor in reducing self-motivation is of critical importance. More often than not, helicopter parents want the best for their kids. However, this parenting style favors short term wins for long term development and growth.
If you read this blog often, you already know how my parenting journey relates to helicopter parenting. If not, take this new research report seriously and be mindful of how your parenting style will impact your kids in the long run.