A new kind of nightmare 'snowplow' parent is calling their kids' employers to talk about issues their children are having at work

Snowplow parenting is the new helicopter parenting. Dan Kitwood/Getty Images
Move over, helicopter parents.
"Snowplow parents" are the newest embodiment of a hyper-intensive parenting style that can include parents booking their adult children haircuts, texting their college kids to wake them up so they don't sleep through a test, and even calling their kids' employers.

類似直升機(jī)一樣的盤旋在兒女身邊,過分介入兒女生活，保護(hù)或是干預(yù)其生活的 “直升機(jī)爸媽”終將靠邊站！
如今已是給成年子女預(yù)約理發(fā)，給上大學(xué)的孩子發(fā)短信叫他們起床去參加考試，甚至?xí)o孩子的雇主打電話—— “掃雪機(jī)爸媽”的天下了。

"Helicopter parenting, the practice of hovering anxiously near one's children, monitoring their every activity, is so 20th century," Claire Cain Miller and Jonah Engel Bromwich wrote in The New York Times. "Some affluent mothers and fathers now are more like snowplows: machines chugging ahead, clearing any obstacles in their child's path to success, so they don't have to encounter failure, frustration or lost opportunities."

克萊爾·凱恩·米勒和約拿·恩格爾·布羅米奇在《紐約時(shí)報(bào)》寫下幾筆：直升機(jī)父母太老，掃雪機(jī)父母正值壯年，破除一切障礙，直達(dá)人生巔峰，“我兒”再也不必?fù)?dān)心遭受失敗、挫折或喪失機(jī)會(huì)了”

Snowplow parents try to make sure their kids never encounter failure. Matt Cardy/Getty Images
Snowplow parents called out in the Times report include a mother who started a charity in her son's name to try to boost his chances of being accepted to the college of his choice. One set of parents spent years helping their daughter avoid foods with sauce, which she didn't like.

《紐約時(shí)報(bào)》一位“掃雪機(jī)母親”為了她的兒被名牌大學(xué)錄取事半功倍，以兒的乳名“寶寶”創(chuàng)辦了一個(gè)慈善機(jī)構(gòu)。還有一對(duì)父母因?yàn)榕畠翰幌矚g醬汁的味道，多年來從未讓她打過醬油。

Once she got to college, she had problems with the food at her school cafeteria because it was all covered in sauce.

但是女兒上大學(xué)后就無法適應(yīng)學(xué)校食堂的飯菜，因?yàn)樗酗埐硕技恿酸u汁。

Snowplow parenting doesn't end after college

大學(xué)畢業(yè)之后

A recent poll by The New York Times and Morning Consult found that three-quarters of parents of children between the ages of 18 and 28 had made their children appointments for doctor visits or haircuts, and 11% said they would call their kid's boss if their child was having an issue at work, the Times reported.

《紐約時(shí)報(bào)》聯(lián)手早晨咨詢公司展開調(diào)研，為人——兒女初長(zhǎng)成到而立之年的父母有四分之三會(huì)為孩子預(yù)約看病或理發(fā)，11%的父母表示，如果孩子工作出了狀況，他們會(huì)打電話給孩子的老板。

Actress Lori Loughlin with her daughter Olivia Jade Giannulli. Associated Press
Taken to the extreme, this type of parenting can be seen in the recent college admission scandal that saw dozens of affluent parents allegedly bribing standardized test score administrators and college coaches to ensure students would be admitted to elite universities, according to federal authorities.

然而，前不久曝出的高校招生舞弊丑聞已經(jīng)說明了一切。據(jù)聯(lián)邦當(dāng)局透露，數(shù)十名富有的家長(zhǎng)賄賂標(biāo)準(zhǔn)化考試的管理人員和高校的教練，確保孩子能被頂尖大學(xué)錄取。

This criminal example of snowplow parenting made the headlines, but it usually takes a simpler form. As INSIDER's Jacob Shamsian previously reported, wealthy parents try to get their children into top-tier colleges by making large donations to a school, such as paying for a building.

商業(yè)內(nèi)幕網(wǎng)的雅各布·沙姆希安曾報(bào)道過，富有的一代家長(zhǎng)會(huì)通過給學(xué)校捐樓等大額捐贈(zèng)的方式來讓孩子進(jìn)入頂尖名牌大學(xué)。

It's not just a habit of the wealthy

冰火兩重天

Rich parents may have more time and money to devote to making sure their child doesn't ever encounter failure, but it's not only affluent parents practicing snowplow parenting.

富一代家或許可以投入更多的時(shí)間和金錢，確保孩子一路顯達(dá)暢通無阻，但吃力的工一代也不能免俗。

This super-intensive parenting has become the most popular way to raise children, regardless of income, education, or race, as Business Insider's Tanza Loudenback previously reported.

商業(yè)內(nèi)幕網(wǎng)的坦扎·勞登巴克曾在報(bào)道中寫過，這種高強(qiáng)度的育兒方式已經(jīng)成為最流行的育兒方式，不論收入、教育或種族——我不是我，不負(fù)香火。

Julie Lythcott-Haims, the former dean of freshmen at Stanford and the author of "How to Raise an Adult: Break Free of the Overparenting Trap and Prepare Your Kid for Success," told the Times that snowplow parenting is a backwards approach.

前斯坦福大學(xué)新生輔導(dǎo)主任朱氏，著有《如何養(yǎng)出一個(gè)成年人：拒絕過度教養(yǎng)的陷阱，讓孩子邁向成功》一書。她說，掃雪機(jī)般地教育下一代，理念很落后。

"The point is to prepare the kid for the road, instead of preparing the road for the kid," she said.

她還說：路漫漫好修遠(yuǎn)兮，無問西東。備下糧草就行了，路得讓娃娃自己去走，某些人眉不挑、氣不喘、閉著眼就修了一條路，得意什么勁呀，我呸。