Are You A Helicopter Mom Or Dad?
If you are a helicopter mom, you need to understand that babies once mobile get overcome with curiosity and want to explore. If you are a first time mommy like me, you’ll likely be guilty of being a helicopter mom from time to time.
To say that my one-year-old is curious is an understatement. My daughter just turned the big number ONE on the 12th of this month and all she wants to do is GO, GO, GO! She is so interested in exploring, the moment you hold her she bucks, squirm, and wants to let loose no matter our location. We can be at the grocery store, shopping mall, or at the dog park and the only thing she wants to do is get on all fours and crawl.
There are places and times when I can’t let my daughter roam around the way she desperately wants, obviously. Now, I am guilty of being a helicopter mom worried of germs, dirt, and everything else that might attack my daughter’s little immune system. I found myself hovering over my daughter even at places where she is safe to explore. Today I did something for the first time; I let her play in the sand at a nearby park. Ariabella dug her little fingers in the sand and was amazed at how the sand felt between her stubby fingers. She scooped the sand and piled it on her legs, over her shoes and in her socks. She wanted to be covered in the stuff and all I could think of was that sand was going to get all over the car and into the home.
But, as I watched my little girl amazed by something so simple as sand; she opened my eyes to the wonder we’ve lost as dull adults. Children are so innocent, but brand new to the world that most of us have grown numb to. It’s okay to be a little worried about your child, but being a helicopter mom or dad can have its downfalls. Being a helicopter mom or dad stunts a child’s ability to grow and hinders their independence.
What is magic to a child is ordinary for most of us and rather than stifling their experience, why not let them get a little dirty? Why not let our children explore? Dirt can always be washed away, but we’ll never have this opportunity again to teach our children to love life and see the magic in it all.
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