Penna Dexter

You’ve heard of helicopter parents. You know — the kind that hover over their children with too much fussing regarding the details of kids’ lives. They’re inclined to smother, to swoop in to rescue their kids often irritating coaches and teachers.

A new trend in parenting has been identified — the rise of lawnmower parents. One college professor calls them “an evolved breed of helicopter parents.” These parents not only worry excessively over the challenges their children face, they remove or pre-empt obstacles before they even reach their kids, like a lawnmower, smoothing the path.

A story from a website for teachers went viral at the beginning of this school year. A WeAreTeachers “community member,” a teacher who wanted to remain anonymous described a dad who arrived at school in the middle of the day, in a business suit, to drop off a water bottle for his teenaged daughter. When she texted him several times that she just had “to have” it, he suggested using the drinking fountain. Not good enough. So Dad brought the water bottle to school.

This teacher was polite but incredulous. She wrote:

“Lawnmower parents go to whatever lengths necessary to prevent their child            from having to face adversity, struggle, or failure. Instead of preparing            children for challenges, they mow obstacles down so kids won’t experience    them in the first place.”

Another classic lawnmower mom called to ask for an extension for her child’s writing project stating, “I just usually handle this kind of thing for him.” She’s depriving her child of a routine growing experience.

The WeAreTeacherswriter states, “in raising children who have experienced minimal struggle, we are not creating a happier generation of kids.”

Parents tempted toward lawnmower parenting should realize it will cripple their children. Sure your kid may be anxious about doing something out of his or her comfort zone. Encourage your child to move forward and trust the Lord. Then, trust your child.