Quiz: Are you a Helicopter Parent?

“Helicopter parents can be identified by their tendency to hover close to their child, ready to come to the rescue at the first sign of difficulty or disappointment,” explains Indiana University psychologist, Chris Meno. (1)

She counsels “over-parented” college students on gaining independence. “Helicopter parents can be identified by their tendency to hover close to their child, ready to come to the rescue at the first sign of difficulty or disappointment.” (1)

Take the Helicopter Parent Quiz

Here’s a quiz to help determine if you tend to allow your child to be responsible for her actions or if you lean towards helicopter parenting. I’ve used the term “child,” but you can also substitute the word child for “teen.”

Question	Never or Rarely	Sometimes	Usually
Do you wake up your child to get ready for school?
Do you continually remind your child it’s time to get up?
Do you keep repeating, “We leave for _____ (school, practice, or church) in ____ minutes.”?
If your child is late, do you change your schedule to accommodate your child’s tardiness?
Do you take responsibility for your child’s things, like packing her sports bag for practice or his backpack?
Do you complete or adjust your child’s homework and/or project until it meets your standards?
If your child forgets her homework, music instrument, and/or project do you take it to school for her?
Do you allow your child to stay home “sick” because he has a project due that isn’t done or a test she didn’t study for?
Do you regularly call or email your child’s teacher over grades or assignments?
Do you make excuses for your child’s misbehavior, such as, “The referee made a bad call.”?
Do you run onto the sports field immediately if your child’s hurt?
Do you rush in to settle your child’s disputes to ensure it is settled fairly?
When your child fails at something, do you reward him for trying?
Do you wait on your child by getting her snack or something to drink?
Do you prepare different food because your child doesn’t like what the family is eating?
Do you expect your child not to do chores since school is his “work”?
Do you manage your child’s schedule?
Do you call or text your child many times a day to check in?
Is your child or teen your best friend?
Do you manage your child’s money? Allowance?

Answer Key:

Answer each question with rarely or never; sometimes; or usually. I’m looking for 5 more questions to add to the “quiz.” If you have a question or two to add, please post a comment. Thanks.

If you typically answered “never or rarely,” you tend to allow your child to be responsible for his actions.

If you generally answered “sometimes,” you often allow your child to be responsible for her actions, but sometimes you rescue your child.

If you answered “usually” to the majority of the questions, you regularly rescue your child and take responsibility for him. This is referred to as “helicopter parenting.”

Sources:

1. “Helicopter parents” stir up anxiety, depression, Indiana University, IU Newsroom, newsinfo.iu.edu
2. Image: Stock.XCHNG www.sxc.hu/. helicopter-3-1032378-m