Parenting involves three important aspects. First, they nurture the parent-child emotional bond by providing support through showing acceptance, affection and involvement. Second, they try to promote mature behaviour in their child through limit setting, guiding and reasoning about consequences with the child. Third, foster autonomy and self- reliance by giving choice, allowing child in decision making, permitting the expression of ideas.
Adolescence and emerging adults desire and strive for greater independence and self-reliance in their daily activities, decision making and managing finances. Many parents feel they still need to help their children navigate this period of experimentation and exploration. At the same time, parents also understand that they need to allow them the autonomy they want and need. It becomes a balancing act between fostering their strivings to gain more autonomy and providing the support they require.
Varying forms of parental control have been identified. Behavioural control refers to parental managing of the child’s daily activities, while psychological control refers to parental behaviours that are intrusive and manipulative of children’s thoughts, feelings, and attachment to parents. Attempts at control, or limiting autonomy, would be particularly harmful during emerging adulthood
Helicopter parenting is a distinct form of parental control, separate from behavioural or psychological control. Helicopter parents or hovering parents are over-involved in the lives of their child.Parents who drop their children off at college and refuse to leave, frequently calling professors or administrators to enquire about their child, intervening in classmate disputes etc. reflect parents who are highly invested and extremely concerned for the well-being of their children. These intrusive behaviours may come from good intentions, but may not be helpful for their child in the long run. These parents would be hindering the process of the children becoming autonomous, self-reliant individuals as evidenced by lower levels of feeling like an adult, identity development, self-worth, and school engagement.
Helicopter parenting that reflects a combination of support and behavioural control intended to foster child maturity, is associated with higher parental knowledge of the child’s activities and with child well-being. However, when parental attempts to exercise coercive control are aimed at limiting children’s behavioural autonomy (i.e., harsh, threatening, authoritarian behaviours) or psychological and emotional autonomy (i.e., psychological control), children and adolescents tend to exhibit emotional and behavioural problems. They do not feel close to their parents, have low self-worth, and have higher levels of depression, anxiety, and impulsivity. They also avoided speaking openly to their parents and got involved in risky behaviours.
Single parents who are anxious about compensating for the absence of the other parent tend to do helicopter parenting. Parenting would be more effective when there is affection and emotional support without excessive controlling overshadow their warmth and concern.
