Snowplow Parenting: A Controversial Parenting Style

To all the tiger moms, helicopter parents and authoritative parents, pay attention to the snowplow parenting – a new parenting style making headlines these days.

We are all aware of parenting machine metaphors such as Tiger Moms and Helicopter parent. Snowplow parent is the newest metaphor which is claiming to make you forget about all other parenting styles.

Let’s have a closer look at what snowplow parenting is. You never know if you are the one!

What is snowplow parenting?

Being a snowplow parent simply means you are trying to clear all the difficulties and challenges that may come in your kid’s way. Just like a snow plow clears the snow off the street.

These parents do not want their kids to experience any distress or problems, so the parent intrudes and fixes it for their child.

I know, it sounds very similar to helicopter parenting or overprotective parenting. But there are a few layers to being a snowplow parent and that makes the real difference.

Real-life Examples Of Snowplow Parenting

1. A child comes home with a bad grade– A snowplow parent will neither yell at the child nor he will encourage him to study more without knowing the actual problem.

The parent will call her teacher and insist on changing the nature of the test. Meanwhile, he will dig deep to rectify the genuine issues his child is facing to rank high.

2. Despite setting rules of device usage, the kid is using various devices excessively – A snowplow parent is not aggressive as Tiger moms and not so lenient as authoritative parents. He is smart and knows how to trick kids to educate good habits.

Parent will set device free zones in the house,he will make his kid aware of the dark side of the technology. He may apply screen time control on his device with parental control apps.

3. When children fight and physically harm their schoolmates – sometimes kids show aggressive behavior. They start physically harming, bullying or behaving badly with their classmates.

In such a case a snow plow parent will neither punish his kid for bad behavior nor he will try to solve the issue by buying a bar of chocolate for the other child and making both the kids’ friends.

Parents will dig deep and try to understand a kid’s hidden psychology behind his bad behaviors. He will find out trigger points that shoot aggression in his kid and then gradually he will work on each of them.

Signs Of Slow plow Parents

Off late, this parenting style is labelled as a controversial method to raise kids. Some experts claim this style has negative effects.

However, every parenting style has its share of positive and negative effects. Check out the signs of snowplow parenting.

You Want To Protect Your kids All The Time

Snow plow parents are very similar to helicopter parents. They like to guard their kids all the time. In fact the central idea of this parenting method is based on the parent’s over cautiousness about their kid’s well being.

That’s why a snowplow parent’s constant effort to remove all the possible dangers from the kid’s way is easy to understand.
Such parents even protect their kid’s digital lives. Are you worried about a kid’s online safety? You may install Bit Guardian Parental Control to monitor and protect your kid’s round the clock.

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You Are Extremely Supportive

Snowplow parents always help their kids to finish schoolwork. If necessary, they are ready to do it themselves just to help the kid. Similarly, these parents support their kids in every aspect of life.

They are always over parent. In reality, snow plow kids may lack the rational approach and street smart skills to handle real life situations.

You Are Very Nosy By Nature

Do you always monitor every activity of your kid? Do you want to know what are the results of your kid’s best buddies? Are you continuously eager to know your kid’s actions in his summer camp and hence keep calling his teacher every hour?

If you do, you are a snowplow parent that is way too much nosy in your kid’s world. You will never be shy to spy your teen on his prom night, you will follow him if he chooses another route to his friend’s place. You are always inquisitive about your child.

You Are A Bit Selfis

Snowplow parents can bribe the kid’s teacher to get the kid more marks. They can scream on the referee’s decision and can make it in favor of their child to let the kid win the game.

Can you see the pattern? Removing kid’s obstacles is one thing and making him win even in the wrong ways is another thing. Snow plow parents act a little selfish and they satisfy their ego by creating a kid’s victory bubble.

Differences Between Helicopter Parents And Snow plow Parents.

Snowplow Parents Are Visionary

• Helicopter parents may lose sight of themselves while constantly protecting their kids.
• But snow plow parents protect their kids in the long run. They can see the kid’s future clearly and make them ready to achieve something big in life.
• Whatever comes in the kid’s path, the snowplow parent protects kids and makes them ready for the final goal.

Snow plow Parents Shower Gifts and Checks

• Generally snowplow parents are rich and never hesitate to shower a check or two to bribe the kid’s teacher, to change the nature of the exam just to support the kid’s easy ride to success.
• Helicopter parents never spoil the child with gifts and money.
• Such snow plow kids are over pampered and do not understand the value of money.

Snow plow parents Are Controlling

• To be fair, both helicopter parents and snow plow parents hover around the child. But helicopter parents are named “helicopters” for a reason.
• Helicopter parents constantly monitor kid’s actions, while the snowplow parents supervise their kids and clear the paths for them.
• Snowplow parenting aims to raise successful children. These parents are very controlling and their every action is focused to make the child successful.

 Snowplow parents Do Their Kid’s Work

• Helicopter parents micromanage the kid’s actions. They always support their kid in every little thing.
• But snowplow parents do kid’s work by themselves. Supporting kids and overparenting are two different things.
• These parents want perfection and they crave for success. They do kid’s homework, they arrange kid’s books in the bag, they finish kid’s chores just to keep everything perfect.

How Not To Be A Snow plow Parent?

What type of parent are you? No wonder, we don’t express 100% qualities of any parenting style. We all adopt a mix and match parenting approach.

Apart from that, there are two sides to the coin. And according to a child expert, snowplow parenting has many negative effects on the child.

Let’s see how you can stop being a snowplow parent?

Ask Your Kids What They Want To Do

Snowplow parenting style always forces their decision on kids. Parents want nothing but a flourishing child that achieves the best in everything.

Instead of forcing your decisions if you include your child and know his views, it will make a kid happy and he will feel involved in his future-making process.

Stop Rushing To Help

Every snowplow parent is over supportive. They constantly help kids. If your child asks for help, refuse to assist at times and do not entertain your kid’s every request.

Ask yourself: Is your child capable enough to do it on their own? Can you help teach any new learning? If you don’t help, which lessons will this struggle make him teach?

Fix Yourself Before Fixing Your Child

Snowplow parents need to relax and think whenever they demand perfection and success what are their feelings and expressions?

Children can read a parent’s face and when you push your child to perform best and be perfect, you feel stress and in the process, you pass on your anxieties to the child.

It is good to be flawless but we are all beautiful with our imperfections, and that’s how the world works. So before fixing a child’s flaws or pushing him for perfection, you should learn to accept a few blemishes here and there.

Avoid Tempting Shortcuts

Snowplow parents can use all the possible ways to get their children winning. It may  temporarily look good to bribe, to give gifts or shower checks to get more marks but in the long run, you are losing your child’s virtues.

As parents, you should teach him good values and fair practices. You are unconsciously educating your child that It is okay to use unfair ways to win. Avoid such unethical methods.

Every child is different, and so are the parents. Which parenting method a parent should use to raise their kids also depends on a parent’s nature, his approach towards life and his emotional and psychological state.

But in any case, parents want to shield their kids against life’s odds. Snowplow parents need to understand that not all days are snowy. Both parents and kids need a little free space to explore life.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)