Hummingbird Parents

"The capacity for being resilient abides in each of us, but whether it comes to the fore depends on a child's own nature, their upbringing, and education," observes Joan Almon in the Community Playthings booklet, The Wisdom of Play. "In the United States, there is concern that today's children are growing up without enough resiliency to meet the demands that will face them in life. Some children receive too little nurture, and struggle to find their footing in life. Others have been cosseted and over-protected. They have been praised and rewarded for the most common accomplishments, and protected from risk and failure. There is concern that they will not have the grit and determination to survive life's challenges or the inner strength to transform these challenges into opportunities for growth.

"Out of these concerns comes a new image, instead of 'helicopter parents,' who swoop in at the slightest hint of a problem for their children we have 'hummingbird parenting,' in which parents stay nearby but only swoop in when really needed. They let their children face as much risk as the children can handle. There is yet another stage to aspire toward — to prepare children so that they can range as freely as possible, given their age and circumstances. Such children are generally very confident and resilient."

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