Over at our Raising Independent Kids Facebook group (join here), parents find a non-blaming/shaming/shrieking/freaking/911-calling environment to ask questions about all sorts of childhood independence issues. Here’s one that probably resonates. Feel free to answer below, or join the group!
Apologies if this has been asked before…how to deal with INTENSE helicopter parents on a playground?
I live outside of NYC, and the local playground is helicopter central. Basically, parents here go the extreme of micromanaging how their–and others’–kids use a slide. Yes. Children are heckled to proceed in a stately manner and God forbid anyone rushes or such. Going up a slide is basically a CRIME. Running is too. Yelling. And EVEN kids approaching other kids (I have seen too many parents rip their kids away from my kids for merely approaching them/my kids approaching their kids).
So any parent whose children act like, well, children can face demands to start joining the micromanaging.
Anyway, I have been:
1) ignoring those parents
2) saying very very slowly while amplifying my mild foreign accent “OKEEEEEY”
3) trying to redirect the topics.
Nine-tenths of these parents will grab their kids and flee the playground. I have also had parents yell at me.
What are your best tips for this wonderful situation?
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