Midlife guide to…

lawnmower parenting

Ah, Monday mornings are such a relief now the kids are back to school.

I suppose – though ours are no trouble, really.

Trouble-free sprogs? Have you somehow unlocked the secret to perfect parenting?

I’m not sure. Maybe the children just respect our authority?

Well there’s no chance I’m buying that. Come on, spill the beans – what’s your style du jour? Helicopter? Tiger? Free-range?

Oh, nothing quite so crass. It’s a technique called lawnmower parenting, and is all about creating the ultimate safe space for your kids, smoothing over life’s rough edges – that sort of thing.

That’s called mollycoddling where I’m from.

Nonsense! Life is full of hardships and, if you make things a little easier for your kids, the chances are they may reward you by being less ghastly than their peers.

What does this lawnmowering involve, exactly?

“Lawnmower parents go to whatever lengths necessary to prevent their child from having to face adversity, struggle or failure,” advocates suggest. As per its namesake, it’s essentially about clearing the path and getting rid of any detritus in youngsters’ way.

Who’s responsible for this madness?

One devoted American father, who apparently missed work to deliver his daughter’s special insulated water bottle directly to her school. Her teacher was so touched by the event that she blogged about it – a post that has since gone viral, being shared more than 12,000 times on Facebook.

His efforts are admirable, I suppose, but how can children learn anything if they never need to perform a single task themselves?

A perfectly valid question. Just don’t ask them to operate an actual lawnmower.