LEARN TO SAY NO TO YOUR CHILDREN

Experts warn ‘helicopter parenting’ leaves kids unable to cope with rules in later life. Emma reveals how to get the balance right

ne of the negative O parenting terms coined in recent years is “helicopter parenting.” These parents are overindulgent and overprotective, fuelled by a desire to solve all their kids’ problems, refusing to ever say “no” and wrapping their children in cotton wool. This type of parenting does your kids a disservice, because they will grow into adults who’ll inevitably hear the word “no” on a daily basis, but be totally unequipped for it.

Saying no to your kids is saying yes to healthy parenting, and while you may find yourself dealing with tantrums initially, in the long-term you’ll teach your child to self-regulate their expectations and help them to deal with reality.

I’m not a fan of judging parents, but too many mums place pressure on themselves to provide their kids with material things they simply can’t afford. It’s better to teach your children the value of money by making them do chores to earn their treats. If you always argue about how many hours they can spend gaming, stop negotiating and make a rule. If they break it, remove a luxury. You may feel guilty now, but their future lives will be full of other people’s rules and regulations, so you’re equipping them for adulthood. Personally, I am all about common sense parenting and not following trends – if you feed your kids well and love them to within an inch of their being, chances are they will be decent human beings in the long run.