DEEP DIVE: Are We Helping or Are We Helicoptering?

What Fresh Hell: Laughing in the Face of Motherhood | Parenting Tips From Funny Moms

What Fresh Hell: Laughing in the Face of Motherhood

Kids & Family, Comedy, Parenting

4.8 • 1K Ratings

🗓️ 1 December 2025

⏱️ 40 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Is "helicopter parenting" actually a definable thing? Or is it just what we call parents who are being annoying? Overparenting is something that it's easy to be judgey about in other people, and a lot harder to identify in ourselves. Parents have to help. It's what we're there for. So how do we manage without micromanaging? In this episode, we discuss: The conditions that trigger parental anxiety (probably the true cause of overattentive parenting) Allowing struggles and disappointments to be part of our kids' journeys How to discern for yourself if you're maybe helicoptering more than helping Here are links to some of the resources mentioned in the episode: Kate Bayless for Parents Magazine: ⁠"What Is Helicopter Parenting, And How Does It Impact Kids?"⁠ Julia Schønning Vigdal and Kolbjørn Kallesten Brønnick for Frontiers in Psychology: ⁠"A Systematic Review of “Helicopter Parenting” and Its Relationship With Anxiety and Depression"⁠ ⁠Our Fresh Take with Camilo Ortiz⁠ We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: ⁠https://www.whatfreshhellpodcast.com/p/promo-codes/⁠ Get 50% Off Monarch Money, the all-in-one financial tool at ⁠www.monarchmoney.com/FRESH Ready to raise money-smart kids? Start now with your first month FREE at acornsearly.com/FRESH! Head to GigSalad.com and book some awesome talent for your next party, and let them know that What Fresh Hell sent you. mom friends, funny moms, parenting advice, parenting experts, parenting tips, mothers, families, parenting skills, parenting strategies, parenting styles, busy moms, self-help for moms, manage kid’s behavior, teenager, tween, child development, family activities, family fun, parent child relationship, decluttering, kid-friendly, invisible workload, default parent, helicopter parent, snowplow parent Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Think about cheese.
0:02.0	Make your thoughts cheesier.
0:04.2	Now add 100% chicken breast fillet, Chipopla sauce and Ameta cheese melt.
0:08.3	And it's giving the new cheesy chicken stack at McDonald's.
0:12.0	Did we mention it's cheesy?
0:13.9	Cheese.
0:15.8	Availments with the 4th of Jan, 2026 from 11 a.m.
0:18.1	Plus and participation may vary.
0:19.2	Subjects availability.
0:22.1	When we're stressed, we overthink things that maybe we wouldn't overthink when we're not stressed.
0:26.4	What fresh hell. Laughing in the face of motherhood.
0:30.2	Every two minutes, 50 women are punched in the face in New York.
0:33.6	With Margaret Ables and Amy Wilson. You should stop micromanaging.
0:39.5	Like, what does that even mean if you're in it?
0:44.0	A podcast that solves today's parenting dilemmas so you don't have to.
0:44.7	It's me.
0:45.8	Hi, I'm the problem.
0:46.3	It's me.
0:52.2	Hey, everybody.
0:55.7	Welcome to What Fresh Hell laughing in the Face of Motherhood. This is Amy.
1:03.1	And this is Margaret. And today we are talking about, am I helping or am I helicoptering?
1:14.4	Oh, boy. I have feelings about this. I have feelings about the term helicopter parent. I think it's usually pretty gendered. I think it's overapplied. And yet, I will say it's one of those things where you know what when you see it.
	...

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