Snowplough Parenting Is A New Trend Everyone Should Avoid

snow plow momHave you been searching for a parenting style that lets you shove your child towards success so you can use their achievements to feel better about your own issues with failure and self-esteem? Then look no further- Snowplough Parenting is for you.

Snowplough Parenting is a new term, describing those parents who constantly step in to sweep aside any dangers or adversaries for their child, while simultaneously pushing their child to achieve all the things they didn’t in life. If you’ve seen last week’s episode of Extreme Guide To Parenting, you saw Snowplough Parenting in action.

I know you might be thinking,” But how is a Snowplough Parent any different than a Tiger Mom or a Helicopter Parent?” Allow me to explain.

If it were snowing outside and you had a violin lesson scheduled, a Tiger Mom is not letting you miss it. If you make a mistake a note during the lesson, you’d probably be walking home as punishment.

A Helicopter Mom would skip the lesson, because the safety of her precious baby isn’t worth the risk. Besides, since Helicopter Mom sits in on every minute of every lesson to make sure nothing happens to you, she can replicate your lesson at home. If you make a mistake, she will likely point it out with a gentle hug followed quickly by an organic oatmeal raisin cookie.

A Snowplough Parent isn’t deterred by snow, because she is driving a five-star safety rated SUV. She always stays for the lesson, but when you miss a note, she will berate the instructor, not you, with a lecture on why you should be performing better. Her rant will include how she was never afforded the chance to take violin lessons as a kid but if she had she would be performing at Lincoln Center right now.

David McCullough, author of the parenting book, You Are Not Special: And Other Encouragements says such an aggressive parenting approach can backfire, leading to children who struggle in college when they no longer have a parent to tell them what to do and eliminate their hardships for them. Say what you will about holier-than-thou Attachment Parents, I think Snowplough Parents are the worse. While I can think of several reason why people shouldn’t have children, pushing a child to be successful where you weren’t so you can live through them is on the top of my list.

(Image: Creativa/Shutterstock)

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