You often hear—and even say— this line: Parents will do everything for their children. While yes, it’s out of love, acting as a friend and doing everything for your kids to the extent that they don’t experience any sort of difficulty is not exactly beneficial to them.
Ever heard of lawnmower parenting, moms? It’s when parents act as “lawnmowers,” removing all problems and obstacles in order for their kids to remain comfortable. It's also akin to being a trusted friend, or kabarkada, who's always there to help.
Some of the most common things a lawnmower parent does: deals with the kids’ problems every single chance they get, speaks for them on their behalf, and discourages them from doing “difficult” activities.
Lawnmower parenting—also called bulldozer or snowplow parenting—wasn’t always in the picture, though it may have been unknowingly practiced by parents. This style of parenting became more known as articles about how snowplow parenting stops kids from developing important life skills started cropping up.
There's a common assessment that it was largely birthed by the Internet and the anxiety innate in parents. As you're constantly exposed to the horrible things shown in the media or online, it becomes instinctive to “overprotect” kids.
As a consequence, lawnmower parenting can leave children incapable of solving problems on their own, helpless when faced with discomfort, and even complacent because they know mom is their friend who will always be there to do things in their place
The need for collaborative parenting
While parents may have the upper hand when it comes to knowledge and experiences, giving children the space to exercise their agency in the whole parent-and-child dynamic is important.
It’s called collaborative parenting, which is grounded on the practice of dealing with various things together with the kids. Here, parents neither do things for children nor do they direct them on what to do. Instead, you involve them in the process, while explaining your objectives of the activity as their parent and doing activities together.
In doing so, children will feel that what they have to say is important and gain a sense of independence. They are also encouraged to be more mindful of their actions and decisions.
This is the goal of the Lady’s Choice #DoItTogether Movement. Through this initiative, Lady’s Choice co-produced a practical program for parents and kids featuring co-creation activities that are geared to help kids develop self-sufficiency, positivity, adaptability, connection, and empathy.
The activities are presented in easy-to-follow video formats, with some delving into teaching decision-making by planning celebrations and developing compassion through supporting a meaningful cause.
Interested to try out these activities with your kids? Sign up and access them for free here: https://bit.ly/lcdoittogether
Jumpstart your co-creation journey with the help of Lady’s Choice and make sure to #DoItTogether with the kids. Practicing collaborative parenting will help you raise individuals who can stand on their own two feet, which your kids will surely thank you for when they grow up!
To do Co-Creation Activities visit bit.ly/lcdoittogether. For more collaborative parenting content visit the hub: bit.ly/doittogetherhub. Follow Lady’s Choice on Facebook.