Latest news with #helicopterparenting
Yahoo
6 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
I'm letting my kids sleep in, look at screens, and do absolutely nothing all summer. I want them to enjoy lazy days while they can.
When I was young, I enjoyed lazy, golden summer breaks. I want my kids to have restful, easy summers, too. I know this time can't last forever, but that just makes me want to enjoy it even more. Growing up in South Florida, summer breaks were a blur of pool days, sleepovers, mall trips, and a lot of sleeping in. My days fell into an easy rhythm: I'd roll out of bed around noon, toss on a swimsuit, grab a Diet Pepsi and a granola bar, then flop into a lounge chair by the pool. Afternoons were spent reading and swimming laps, and in the evening, I could be found on the phone or hanging out with friends until curfew. I got my first part-time job the year I turned 16, and my schedule shifted around work hours. But I still slept in whenever I could and spent a ridiculous amount of time on the phone when I wasn't working or practicing my driving. I remember those summers as relaxed, carefree, and fun — three months of doing whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted. My parents rolled their eyes when I was still in bed at lunchtime, but it was the 1980s — helicopter parenting wasn't a thing. As long as I did my chores, I was golden. And so were my summers. We're four weeks into summer break, and I'm happy to report my kids have settled into their own version of a 1980s summer. Some people call it "kid rot" — lounging around on screens, staying up until midnight, and generally doing a whole lot of nothing. But as an older mom, it feels just about perfect to me. My kids aren't attending camps or academic programs, and I have (almost) no guilt about letting them sleep in as late as they want. In fact, I want them to enjoy these long, lazy days with no agenda. Soon enough, they'll be headed back to school, to SATs and geometry class, to clubs, part-time jobs, and volunteer hours. After that, they'll be off to college, jobs, and a busy life that leaves no room for weeks and weeks of downtime. Knowing these lazy days of summer can't last is one reason they're so special. As we get closer to the start of school, I'll start nudging my sons to go to bed earlier and crack open the summer reading they've ignored since May. I'll begin tugging gently on the loose boundaries that this season has allowed. They'll push back — of course they will — and there will be late nights come September when they think they can stay up past midnight and still function at 7 a.m. My kids will learn, like I did, that summer's easy, breezy flow doesn't carry over into the structure of a jam-packed school year. They'll wistfully say, "I miss summer," and I will silently agree as I send them off to school — backpacks full of books, folders, goals, dreams, and the first hints of their future just coming into view. My kids' summers have always looked like this — relaxed days and mostly empty schedules, aside from the occasional beach or lake trip. I've spent years feeling vaguely guilty that I haven't packed their break with classes and camps and educational field trips. But then I remind myself that we live in a culture that glorifies being busy, where self-worth is often tied to paychecks and accomplishments. Even being truly at rest takes effort — rearranging personal and professional schedules and front-loading or back-loading work just to steal a few days of true downtime. I think back to my younger self — happily sleeping in, reading for hours, or lounging by the pool with no goal beyond a Coppertone tan — and I wonder what changed. When did a four-day weekend start to feel decadent and undeserved? When did I start calling it a "vacation week" if I only put in 20 hours of freelance work and checked off a couple of big chores? I'm trying to relearn how to relax while letting my kids do what still comes naturally to them. I'm less focused on preparing them for the "real world" than I am on giving them memories of a carefree summer spent resetting and refueling. This isn't "rot" to me — it's the kind of downtime that gives them space to think, dream, and even get bored. They need it — and I'm reminding myself, so do I. Read the original article on Business Insider
Yahoo
6 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
I'm letting my kids sleep in, look at screens, and do absolutely nothing all summer. I want them to enjoy lazy days while they can.
When I was young, I enjoyed lazy, golden summer breaks. I want my kids to have restful, easy summers, too. I know this time can't last forever, but that just makes me want to enjoy it even more. Growing up in South Florida, summer breaks were a blur of pool days, sleepovers, mall trips, and a lot of sleeping in. My days fell into an easy rhythm: I'd roll out of bed around noon, toss on a swimsuit, grab a Diet Pepsi and a granola bar, then flop into a lounge chair by the pool. Afternoons were spent reading and swimming laps, and in the evening, I could be found on the phone or hanging out with friends until curfew. I got my first part-time job the year I turned 16, and my schedule shifted around work hours. But I still slept in whenever I could and spent a ridiculous amount of time on the phone when I wasn't working or practicing my driving. I remember those summers as relaxed, carefree, and fun — three months of doing whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted. My parents rolled their eyes when I was still in bed at lunchtime, but it was the 1980s — helicopter parenting wasn't a thing. As long as I did my chores, I was golden. And so were my summers. We're four weeks into summer break, and I'm happy to report my kids have settled into their own version of a 1980s summer. Some people call it "kid rot" — lounging around on screens, staying up until midnight, and generally doing a whole lot of nothing. But as an older mom, it feels just about perfect to me. My kids aren't attending camps or academic programs, and I have (almost) no guilt about letting them sleep in as late as they want. In fact, I want them to enjoy these long, lazy days with no agenda. Soon enough, they'll be headed back to school, to SATs and geometry class, to clubs, part-time jobs, and volunteer hours. After that, they'll be off to college, jobs, and a busy life that leaves no room for weeks and weeks of downtime. Knowing these lazy days of summer can't last is one reason they're so special. As we get closer to the start of school, I'll start nudging my sons to go to bed earlier and crack open the summer reading they've ignored since May. I'll begin tugging gently on the loose boundaries that this season has allowed. They'll push back — of course they will — and there will be late nights come September when they think they can stay up past midnight and still function at 7 a.m. My kids will learn, like I did, that summer's easy, breezy flow doesn't carry over into the structure of a jam-packed school year. They'll wistfully say, "I miss summer," and I will silently agree as I send them off to school — backpacks full of books, folders, goals, dreams, and the first hints of their future just coming into view. My kids' summers have always looked like this — relaxed days and mostly empty schedules, aside from the occasional beach or lake trip. I've spent years feeling vaguely guilty that I haven't packed their break with classes and camps and educational field trips. But then I remind myself that we live in a culture that glorifies being busy, where self-worth is often tied to paychecks and accomplishments. Even being truly at rest takes effort — rearranging personal and professional schedules and front-loading or back-loading work just to steal a few days of true downtime. I think back to my younger self — happily sleeping in, reading for hours, or lounging by the pool with no goal beyond a Coppertone tan — and I wonder what changed. When did a four-day weekend start to feel decadent and undeserved? When did I start calling it a "vacation week" if I only put in 20 hours of freelance work and checked off a couple of big chores? I'm trying to relearn how to relax while letting my kids do what still comes naturally to them. I'm less focused on preparing them for the "real world" than I am on giving them memories of a carefree summer spent resetting and refueling. This isn't "rot" to me — it's the kind of downtime that gives them space to think, dream, and even get bored. They need it — and I'm reminding myself, so do I. Read the original article on Business Insider
Telegraph
12-07-2025
- Health
- Telegraph
Children are far better off playing in the sun than sitting in a stuffy classroom
The American social psychologist Dr Jonathan Haidt's bestselling book, The Anxious Generation, argues that the rise of smartphones and so-called helicopter parenting has led to a 'rewiring' of childhood and increased mental illness. Since the emergence of smart phones and social media, traditional play-based childhood activities like free play, outdoor exploration, and spontaneous social interactions have been reduced and replaced by structured activities and screen time. 'Overprotection in the real world and underprotection in the virtual world are the major reasons why children born after 1995 became the anxious generation,' he writes. Modern parents are largely to blame for this, not least if they restrict their children's freedom and independence in the real world while failing to adequately monitor and guide their online activities. But schools must also bear their shame of the blame. Nanny-state schooling – and an over-emphasis on emotional validation – has undermined individual responsibility and self-reliance in a generation of young people. This week, we learnt that some headteachers are banning children from playing outside during heatwaves. Pupils are being kept inside for 'hot play' breaks when their playgrounds are deemed to be 'too hot to use safely '. The move is apparently designed to keep children away from outdoor surfaces that can become very hot to touch in the sun. If it wasn't bad enough that schools keep children inside when it's raining, despite the Peppa Pig-esque delight they take in jumping in puddles, we now have 'hot play' on top of 'wet play'. Surely keeping children indoors during hot weather is actually worse for their health than allowing them to play outside? There should be shaded areas in any playground, and children should wear sunscreen and hats, but one of the great things about hot weather is the fun you can have playing in it. If the alternative is sitting inside a stuffy classroom on a screen then it is completely self-defeating. Is it really any wonder so many young people are suffering from anxiety and depression when schools are wrapping them up in this much cotton wool?
Yahoo
17-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Parents cause teens to be anxious and depressed by making this one common mistake, experts warn
Don't be a worrying helicopter parent. A new poll revealed that most U.S. parents are wary of letting their teenagers venture out on their own — despite it possibly being detrimental to their personal growth and development. The team at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor surveyed over 1,000 parents across the country with children ages 13 to 18, originally reported on by Science News. The C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health found that fewer than half of parents would allow their teen to stay alone in a hotel room while they stepped out for breakfast. Even fewer — about one-third — would permit their teen to walk alone to a nearby coffee shop, and only one in five parents said they'd be comfortable with their teen exploring an amusement park or museum solo. More drastically, one in five parents say they have never allowed their teen to be away from them while on a trip. Experts have long warned that today's children are growing up with fewer chances for independent play and exploration. Compared to previous generations, teens today are less likely to walk or bike to school alone or even hold part-time jobs, thanks to their paranoid parents. This drop in autonomy comes alongside a worrying rise in mental health issues among teens, including anxiety and depression. While some researchers caution against drawing direct connections between the mental health crisis and parents' protectiveness, others are more certain of the correlation. 'It's absolutely no surprise to me that we are seeing these dramatic rises in anxiety, depression, even suicide among teenagers,' Boston College psychologist Peter Gray told Science News. However, he noted there's still hope. 'If we reach some families and just approach this upcoming summer a little differently, I feel like that's a big win,' Gray said. Experts suggest that allowing your child to give input on where you vacation and setting rules allows parents and teens to set boundaries that both are comfortable with. For example, most parents agreed that having teens check in by phone (64%), asking them to stay with friends or siblings (62%), and telling them to stay in agreed-upon locations (55%) would bring them comfort while allowing kids to find their independence
