Helicopter Parents Ruin Easter Egg Hunt and Lots Of Kids Cried
Easter egg hunts are a sure signal of spring. But this year the family-friendly Easter egg hunt has become a symbol of something much worse: the helicopter parent.
A helicopter parent is the kind of parent that protects their child from every bump and scrape - emotional and physical. They hover over their kids and make sure that the whole world treats their precious young ones with kid gloves.
Helicopter parenting is a real thing and most of us have elements of helicoptering in the way we parent (don't deny it, it's true). The term helicopter parent has also grown to encompass the kind of parent who is overly indulgent and creates an entitled, spoiled child.
The traditional Easter egg hunt of Colorado Springs has fallen prey to this band of roving, indulgent parents. According to authorities, the hunt was cancelled because last year's was a fiasco, thanks to parents who descended on the lawn to make sure their children "found" as many eggs as possible.
It sounds like there were some serious issues with the setup at last year's hunt, but the details no longer matter as the headlines scream Fox News-style: "Easter Egg Hunt Cancelled Due To Pushy Parents".
When I re-read the article, I can see that some of the issues were organizational: the eggs weren't hidden, it was a wide open lawn, and it was a free-for-all. Bigger kids were probably grabbing the eggs and the little kids were crying. Parents jumped over the rope to grab some eggs for their kids. Should they have done that? No. But I imagine that the whole situation was a mess and instead of thinking of a way to re-organize the hunt, the city decided to shut it down.
But that doesn't matter. What matters is that the end of a small, local Easter egg hunt has made the news all over North America. It has become a metaphor for parents who "jump the rope" and ingratiate themselves into all parts of their kids' lives to make sure they don't miss anything.
The incident serves as another opportunity to blame parents for being overly pushy and raising spoiled, entitled kids. We modern parents have no shame. One day we force the cancellation of Easter, who knows what we will do next.
It's all the parents fault, as usual.
Do you think this was an example of helicopter parenting?
Want more chaos? Last year, I responded to the favourite child issue with one of my favourite headlines: Love Is Not a Pie
« Tori Spelling Pregnant Again?! | Main | Vogue Writer Forces 7-Year-Old Daughter on Diet of Humiliation and Derision »
