Enough With The Parenting Labels Already

I've had enough of the labels being affixed to parents. No, more than enough. And I'm one of them.

Helicopter parents. Free-range parents. Snowplow parents. Lighthouse parents. Tiger parents. Elephant parents. E-nough.

Do you know any other group that has so many labels -- none of them positive, by the way, tossed at them? So many terms that others create and then assign based upon their observations of how *they* view the parenting of others? And then feel they have the right to not only comment, but to do so with a label attached? I thought name-calling ended in elementary school, plus every parent I know taught their kids not to call names before they were out of diapers.

Parents have enough on their plates. If you're a parent, you know. And if you're not, spend a day with one. Would be glad to hook you up.

Whether you're a stay-at-home parent working 24/7 to raise your children in this complex world of ours or you're a working parent - outside of the home - trying to figure out from one day to the next which responsibilities take priority, parents face what I've said before...a herculean task. Their choice, true, yet let's give some credit where it's due.

Unless you're labeling a kind of baby clothing or a type of school program, there's no place in the parenting world for labels. They're obstacles. They divide. They add pressure. Parents are already carrying around enough weight taking its toll on marriages, families, work, and their health. They don't need anything more.

It's counterproductive to assume or label a parent whose style may be more involved as being helicoptering, just as it's insulting to tell a parent that they're snowplowing when they need or choose to have a higher level of involvement with their child (and this includes teens and young adults) for any number of reasons. People on the outside know nothing about what's going on inside.

There's always someone who has something to say about something, but as my mother used to say (and I'm sure most have heard this as well) -- if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all.

So stop with the labels. I'm sure there's someone already working on another one to brand another type of parent who does this or that. Forget it. Keep it to yourself. Parents don't need one more thing that isn't geared toward offering support, lightening their load, allowing them more life flexibility, providing them with more access to assistance for their children, or showing them ... no us, the respect we have earned for raising babies into teenagers who become young adults poised to take on a challenging world.

I've said it before and will say it again...my rotors started spinning when my child entered the world and will continue spinning until I leave it. If you don't like it, don't agree, parent differently, or have thoughts about it, by all means...I'm always open to an honest and respectful exchange of ideas. But forget the labels. For me and all other parents as well. It's enough...