Parental guidance

PARENTAL GUIDANCE

This week, Parents Council member Jennine reacts to today’s cover story:

”There’s a lot of societal pressure on parents to be ‘helicopter parents,’ but then they are bad parents for conforming.

“One small example is the wearing of coats. Pick your battles, they say, so I figure my kids are bright enough to know whether or not they’re cold. Sometimes I’ll suggest they take a coat ‘just in case.’ If they don’t, it’s their problem, not mine.

“But the comments and the worry from other adults is amazing. ‘Aren’t you cold, dear?’ ‘Would you like to borrow a sweater, dear?’ as though I’m this negligent mother who has thought to bundle myself up, but doesn’t care about my child.

“My kids are rarely sick, have never suffered frostbite and are responsible kids, but there’s a lot of pressure to be the ‘good’ mom and make them wear coats.

“With pressure over such a tiny issue, there’s obviously a lot more pressure concerning the bigger issues. How much freedom do you allow? Should you run forgotten lunches to school? Will your child be the only one who turns in her very own work to the science fair and thus not have a chance at first place?

“Plus, if you read the parenting magazines, there’s disaster lurking around every corner. You’re supposed to measure the play equipment at the park to make sure Junior can’t get hurt and you have to make sure that scrape on his knee isn’t actually home to a deadly flesh eating bacteria and you must be sure that you have picked the very best produce that isn’t tainted with chemicals, E. coli or strains of yet-to-be-identified bacteria.

“And give him dessert – no, don’t, he’ll get fat – yes, do, or he’ll have an eating disorder because he hasn’t learned to eat sweets in moderation.

“Helicopter parents? I think people are confused.”

You can join the discussion by clicking on the “Helicopter Parents” thread at spokesmanreview.com/ blogs/parents.

THINGS TO DO

This week, we introduce a new feature to the Families page: Kids in the Kitchen. Every other week, freelance food writer Carol Price Spurling will share kitchen tips and recipes that parents and kids can make together.

Turn to page B3 for today’s recipes.