Do You Have Helicopter Parents?

 My youngest sister, Halle, is the queen of, what my family calls “glomming” In fact, so much so that we call her Glommy more often than Halle. The dining room table at my house is somewhat like a picnic table, as it has two long benches on each side; whoever sits on the side that Halle is (never me by the way, and for good reason) always has to put up with her “glomming” What this means is: by the end of the dinner, you will notice Halle’s plate has magically moved from 3 feet away to 3 inches away from you. Your elbows are glued to your sides like the classic military push-ups you have to do in 6th grade PE because she simply gives you no room. Halle doesn’t understand the concept of personal space when it comes to us, her family members (or maybe she does, she just doesn’t care to support the foolish “space-bubble-belief”). “I just love you guys so so much” she claims whenever her grimy little paws reach to hold your hand while you are trying to eat with a fork. Another one of her classic playbook moves is to hang her arms around your shoulders so you have to reach around her lanky arms to bring the utensil to your lips. She traps you in the perfect place so you have no choice but to listen when she mutters with her hot breath in your ear, “how’s the food” or “wanna play a board game after dinner?” or “what’d you do today?” She is nosy and she knows it and we all love her for it. 

My mom is not nosy like my sister is. For the most part, my mom gives me the space to come to her if I want to talk about something going on in my life. She also gives me the freedom to make my own decisions as long as I show her I am taking care of myself in a safe and healthy way. The wonderful thing about my mother is that she is the most open-minded human I know. In fact, so open-minded, it’s almost annoying. Anytime I vent to her about how someone bothered me, her response is always “oh honey, you don’t know what is going on in their heads, maybe they are going through something” or “don’t get angry with what you don’t understand” While sometimes its a little frustrating because I just want someone to say “yeah that sucks” or “that’s so annoying I totally understand” I love how openminded my mom is because she never fails to remind me not to judge others. Not only that, but she never judges me. There is nothing I would be too scared to tell my mom. I know she wants what is best for me and does everything in her power to support me. She doesn’t even bother asking me what’s new with my life because there is nothing I don’t tell her. 

My mom doesn’t snoop in my room or read my diaries. I don’t have to ask her if I can go anywhere and I don’t have a curfew. These boundaries are in place because 1: I share my location with her and 2: She knows there is nowhere I’d want to be past 11pm anyways. My mom knows me very well and trusts my decision-making skills. My mom and Halle balance out to be the perfect amount of nosy and there is nothing I am more grateful for. Halle never forgets to ask me what I did that day and my mom is always there to listen and give me advice. To answer the question, no, my mom is not a helicopter parent. If anyone is or will be a helicopter parent, it’s my sister, Halle.

Comments

  1. YeowoonOctober 4, 2021 at 6:47 AM

    I love the comparison you set with your sister and your mother. I think it's a nice contrast and you tie them together towards the end, talking about how they balance out in your life. I also think you did a really good job of reflection, specifically in the second paragraph when you talk about how you sometimes get frustrated by your mother's open-mindedness. I enjoyed reading!

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