We have to confess that the term “Snow Plow” parent isn’t ours. We came across this description provided by a fellow reader in response to the article Have American Parents Got it All Backwards? by Christina Gross-Loh that appeared in the Huffington Post in 2014. It recently popped into our Facebook feed and as per usual we felt compelled to share.

So what’s a Snow Plow parent?  – Apparently it’s one who moves every potentially hazardous item or negative experience out of our child’s way to ensure they are forever safe, protected and happy. Hey – sounds like life in the real world?

In the article, Gross-Loh provides some interesting insights into growing up ‘around the world’ and the varying approaches applied to parenting in different continents and countries.  Agree or disagree there are some valuable lessons we could use from our Asian and European neighbors. We are particularly fond of the notion that “instead of keeping children satisfied, we need to fuel their feelings of frustration”, to practice patience and develop self-control. These are important life skills and go a long way to facilitating resilience in adulthood.

For the full article click on this link.