Articles
Hover No More: Helicopter Parents May Breed Depression and Incompetence in Their Children
A new study in the "Journal of Child and Family Studies" found that being overly involved in your grownup kids’ lives can do more harm than good
Are Helicopter Parents Here to Stay?
As advocates of parent-child rough-and-tumble play, we have often bumped up against the bubble-wrapping tendencies of the helicopter parent. So when...
ING Direct’s MONEY: A Bank Account for Teens—That’s Custom-Made for Helicopter Parents
The online bank ING Direct is introducing a new debit card and e-banking account designed specifically for teenagers. But considering how the product works—daily...
Little League’s Big Headaches: Helicopter Coaches
You’re asked a lot of questions when you’re an assistant coach for your son’s Little League team, as I was for two years, but with a new season underway I’m...
Note to Gen Y Workers: Performance on the Job Actually Matters
We’ve all heard about how millennials have been raised by “helicopter parents,” who hover over them and protect them from criticism and disappointment. The...
Why an Easter Egg Hunt Brought Out the Worst in Helicopter Parents
I don’t know much about Easter egg hunts because I’m Jewish — the eggs we focus on in April are on our seder plates — but the little I do know is that eggs are...
Are Foodie Kids the Sign of End Times?
Being a childless misanthrope and everything, it pleased me to see two new books addressing one of my pet peeves: kids and all the things they don’t like. Pamela...
Should We Stop Telling Our Kids That They’re Special?
Wellesley High School families who’d come to graduation last week expecting a warm bath of clichés were treated to a bracing shower from David McCollough, Jr.,...
Why Is the U.S. Against Children’s Rights?
Recently the U.N. special representative on violence against children called on member countries to ratify two optional protocols to the U.N. Convention on the...
Summer Camp: Great for Kids, Maybe Even Better for Parents
I’ve spent a good bit of time away from my kids this summer. My 9-year-old went on a month-long trip to Alaska with his grandparents, while my 7-year-old had her...
How ‘Kidsick’ Parents Stay Connected (Obsessively) with Their Kids in Summer Camp
Insomnia is a drag, but not if you’re Lauren Rosen. With two kids away from home at a summer camp in Maine, Rosen turns her middle-of-the-night wakings into...
The Growing Backlash Against Overparenting
The insanity crept up on us slowly; we just wanted what was best for our kids. We bought macrobiotic cupcakes and hypoallergenic socks, hired tutors to correct a...
Did Etan Patz Mark the End of Carefree Parenting?
People over 40 love to regale one another with stories of their outlandish childhood freedoms. Walking a mile by themselves at the age of 7 to the bus stop,...
Bye-Bye, Training Wheels. Hello, Balance Bikes
Forget moving to a big-boy bed. The tougher childhood transition is going from four wheels to two. That's why balance bikes — low-to-the-ground kiddie bicycles...
Does This Baby Bikini Onesie Go too Far?
Be it a miniature tuxedo, tiny tutu, or souvenir ensemble, the novelty onesie is one of the rites of parenthood. But this onesie imprinted with a itsy bitsy...
