helicopter parenting

have you heard of the term?
it's seems to be getting alot of press lately.
overparenting is a term that has gotten alot of press over the past few years.
it has other names - helicopter parenting, smothering mothering, alpha parenting,etc.

no matter what it's called,
it's got researchers, educators and psychologists concerned about our kids.

my first thought was,
do i fall into this category?
i know parent who do, but i don't think c and could be classified this way.

i didn't even buy one of those cover for the grocery cart to protect the boys from germs
when they were babies (a wipe was enough for me and sometimes i didn't even do that). 

so why is helicopter parenting so bad for our kids?
it sends a message that they are incapable of success on their own.

so i'm making a point to let the boys have even longer leashes these days.
and to let them fall and fail more.  as painful as it might be, they'll be better off for it.

if you want to hear more, check out this article from the newyorker.