Are You a Lawnmower Parent?

A middle school teacher has created a buzz on the Internet for labeling a student’s father a lawnmower parent.

In an opinion article on the site WeAreTeachers, the teacher, who wished to remain anonymous, shared a story about a parent who made a special trip to school simply to drop off his teenager’s favorite water bottle.

“You may not have heard of the latest term for a troubling trend recently identified in parenting: lawnmower parents,” wrote the teacher. “Instead of preparing children for challenges, they mow obstacles down so kids won’t experience them in the first place.”

While the teacher admits that these type of parents have good intentions, he or she emphasized that our children need to encounter struggles in their lives.

“If we want our children to be successful, healthy adults, we must teach them how to process through their own challenges, respond to adversity, and advocate for themselves,” the teacher concludes.

Are you guilty of being a lawnmower parent, at least at times? If you dare, take a minute for self-reflection to see if you fall into that category or one of the other six parent labels recently defined by USA Today.

Tiger Parent
High-expectation, authoritarian parents expect excellence in academics and specific extracurriculars.

Elephant Parent
Opposite to the Tiger Parent, the Elephant Parent values encouragement and emotional security over success.

Helicopter Parent
The over-protective parent constantly hovers over the child to prevent risk.

Dolphin Parent
These parents seek to motivate their children through collaboration, flexibility, and balance, including time for play, time with others, and rest.

Attachment Parent
This label is given during the early years due to consistent natural closeness through baby wearing and co-sleeping.

Free-range Parent
Becoming increasingly rarer, the Free-Range parent promotes independence by allowing young children to be alone out of the parent’s vision.

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