What it is: Lawn mower parenting went viral in 2018 after a teacher wrote an essay condemning parental meddling. Lawn mower parents go out of their way to remove any adversity or, worse, failure, that their child may face.
Why parents do it: This approach is certainly well intended as it stems from a desire to not see your child struggle. Often, parents with the finances and resources to solve problems feel it is their responsibility as parents to do so, whether their child has earned it or not.
What research says: A key risk in raising kids using this bulldozer-like philosophy is that when they eventually do encounter conflict, they won't be equipped with how to handle it. "Kids who receive the best of everything and don't have opportunities to practice defeat will later struggle when coping with life's messy nature," Jenny Grant Rankin, PhD, an educator and Psychology Today writer previously told NBC News.
