Abstract

MILLET, Eva. Perfect children or hypochildren? Causes and consequences of hyperpaternity. Rev. Asoc. Esp. Neuropsiq. [online]. 2021, vol.41, n.139, pp.279-287.  Epub Oct 04, 2021. ISSN 2340-2733.  https://dx.doi.org/10.4321/s0211-57352021000100016.

In the 21st century, as children become an ever scarcer good in the first world, families have come to increasingly revolve around them. Never before have parents paid so much attention to their children, or invested so many financial and emotional resources in their upbringing. In just a couple of decades, countries like Spain have moved to a child-centric family model. Children, who in the past were expected to keep out of the way —and were sometimes even treated as though they were a part of the furniture—, are today placed on a domestic altar.

These adored creatures are worshipped by their full-time parents, who live for them and through them. They are willing to give them everything, and do all that is needed to make them both happy and successful. Because today children are a status symbol; a reflection of their parents´ aspirations, with all the emotional cost that this implies. This model of child rearing, which has been dubbed "hyper", "intensive" or "helicopter" parenting, is a complex and already dominant phenomenon, with consequences on both a psychological and sociological level.

In this article I aim to synthesize the characteristics and consequences of this model. I will draw on the three books I have written on the subject, my newspaper articles, my blog, and my own experiences as a speaker, observer, and mother.

Keywords : hyperpaternity; helicopter upbringing; hyperchildren; overprotection; child anxiety.

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