’Helicopter parents’
ENGLISH is full of funny-sounding expressions like “helicopter parents”. Can these two words – helicopter and parents – really be put together to form a meaningful expression?
Yes, they can. One sentence in the British newspaper The Guardian reads: “Some [effects of the financial crisis on college students] are cushioned (缓冲) by ’helicopter’ parents, because they provide protection over their offspring.”
So “helicopter parents”, a colloquial term, refers to parents who pay close attention to their children’s experiences and problems. These parents typically try to prevent harm or failure from touching their children. They are so named because, like helicopters, they “hover” close to their children, whether the children need them or not.
The term gained popularity in the early 2000s when a new generation of young people reached college-age. Some parents earned the nickname for calling their children each morning to wake them up for class and for complaining to their professors about grades the children had received.
There are also some related expressions to describe such parents:
“Black hawk parents” are even more meddling than helicopter parents; they may even write their children’s college admission essays. The expression developed from “helicopter parents”, as “black hawk” (黑鹰战斗机) is a powerful military helicopter.
“Lawnmower (锄草机) parents” are those who attempt to mow down (锄倒) all obstacles, to the extent that they may even attempt to interfere with their kids’ lives even after they have graduated from college.
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