Thursday, October 22, 2015

Has Big Brother Turned Into My Mother?

One notable characteristic of today's children is they seem overwhelmingly sheltered in their upbringing.  Parents are notably more involved in their children's lives today, but often push this to the extreme, watching their every move with a close eye, not even allowing children to go to the playground without being carefully monitored for fear of them hurting themselves.  The fear of putting kids at risk both physically and emotionally has led to changes in how children's safety, food, and even television programs are made, in order to protect the children.  This increase could be due to a number of factors, including parental pressures to compensate for working more than they have in the past, pressure to develop a successful generation of students that are able to compete globally, and possibly most influential, wanting to do everything in their power to protect their children from the horrors in the world as demonstrated by 9/11.

While this overprotective parenting, coined "helicopter parenting," is done with the child's best interests at heart, it has the potential to lead to a generation that is unsure how to function when it is time for them to be on their own.  Research has shown that there has been a significant increase in the number of college students who feel overwhelmingly stressed and confused about how to handle life after they leave the safety net of their parents' house.

A working thesis for this topic could be:  The shift in the laissez faire style of parenting from the 70's and 80's to the helicopter parenting style of today has had a negative impact on the children that have grown up with so much parental guidance that they do not know how to live on their own.

Sources: 
http://www.slate.com/articles/double_x/doublex/2015/07/helicopter_parenting_is_increasingly_correlated_with_college_age_depression.html
http://www.science20.com/rogue_neuron/dont_shelter_your_children_coping_stress_child_develops_resilience_and_emotion_regulation_adult
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2014/04/hey-parents-leave-those-kids-alone/358631/
https://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200411/nation-wimps
http://www.xojane.com/issues/free-range-parenting
http://www.businessinsider.com/the-rise-of-the-helicopter-parent-2015-

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4 comments:

  1. UnknownOctober 23, 2015 at 6:32 AM

    I absolutely love the title of this post! This is a great thesis, and you have researched reasons behind why the shift happened, and what was affected by the shift. I'm also sure that a lot of people in our class can relate to this topic, and I'm personally extremely interested in what you find through your research!

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  2. Julia HineOctober 23, 2015 at 6:34 AM

    Okay, I am extremely interested in your choice. As someone who has grown up very sheltered, I know that when I started college I felt like I was floundering. Great word choices in your thesis, laissez faire is definitely a concept you should exploit.

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  3. Max IsabelleOctober 23, 2015 at 6:36 AM

    I like the title, great allusion and it works well with your topic. This is a topic I was considering for my paradigm shift because I will admit I have helicopter parents to a certain degree. It is not all them though a lot of it is brought on willingly by myself, due to the respect I have for them. When I have a problem they are the first people I will tell. I think that is something that could be included with the fact that their are also parents who are overseeing every aspect of their children life without invitation. The dynamic between parents and children has defently changed, hopefully through your research you can decide if it is for the better or worse.

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  4. Robin KramerOctober 23, 2015 at 4:17 PM

    Rebecca, relevant topic, solid approach, and understandable thesis. As you continue, you might find that you tweak the language of this claim (ie, "who have grown up" not "that have grown up...") but it's solid in terms of substance.

    I have an article for you, too:

    https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/freedom-learn/201509/declining-student-resilience-serious-problem-colleges#_=_

    It might be of interest!

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