過保護 ― helicopter mom

日本でも”モンスターペアレント”という表現が定着しましたが、アメリカでは


helicopter parents


という表現があるそうです。ヘリコプターが頭上で旋回するみたいに、自分の子供に付きまとう様を揶揄した表現だと言えます。

日本語でいう”モンスターペアレント”は、学校へ無理難題をふっかける、ヤクザまがいの親を想起させますが、"helicopter parent"という言葉は、引用記事を見る限り、子供が気にかかってしょうがない困った親御さん、というくらいの意味にも取れます。


Hi, my name is Renée, and I’m a helicopter mom.

I used to scoff at overly involved parents. I never did my kids’ school projects or micromanaged their scuffles with friends. Within reason, I believed in letting my kids make their own mistakes and fight their own battles. But just before our eldest child, Hannah, began her senior year of high school, I watched the Excellence in Parenting Award slip through my fingers.

It started last year when we were looking at colleges in New England, more than 1,000 miles from our home in Louisiana. Hannah fell in love with several, and the tours we took thrilled her. As my excitement for Hannah’s future grew, so did my anxiety about letting her go.
(Renee Bacher. Confessions of a helicopter mom. The New York Times. October 29, 2010.)


記事のURLはこちら。

当事者にとっては深刻な問題です。3人の子供を抱える私にとっても・・・。