How ‘helicopter parenting’ can hurt young children: Parents striking the balance

Scaffolding — supporting the development of children at the right time (instead of supporting them every step of the way) — helps children learn to regulate their own behaviors, but at the same time, standing back and simply letting the child find his or her own way is equally important. This is true with very young children as well as older children. But more research is needed to help parents understand that they can actually undermine their child's development by being overly directive.