Why it doesn't work

I was thinking I'd go back to what this blog is named after: helicopter parents (or curling parents).

Right now we're seeing many TV shows where the parents run their children's lives or take care of them way too much. Examples of these are "Ung & Bortskämd" and "Mammor & minimodeller". We see that either the kids can't speak for themselves or take care of themselves. Sometimes it's both. And it's not hard to understand why. If you never have to handle anything yourself, or think for yourself, how are you supposed to form your own life?

It can give the child the illusion that it can take care of itself. As long as the parents cook dinner, drive them everywhere, talk to their teachers when they get a bad grade and make sure that everything they eat is healthy. The best would be if they tell them what colleges and universities they should apply for as well.

I think if you want your child to be independent, you have to do exactly that. It can't just be independent in the way that they know what they want, they also have to go get it themselves. We all need some sort of motivation, but if we're too comfortable we don't want to change our situation. Parenting works the same way. Stop making excuses for your child, and let them think for themselves.