Helicopter Parent

“Their Failures Are Your Failures”

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  • PLAYERS: 2-8

  • TIME: 25-35 minutes

  • AGES: 13+

Nothing says you are a success like having brilliant children.

But will too much music practice, maths homework, and volunteering make them crumble under the pressure?

This is the dilemma at the heart of Helicopter Parent.

You could solve it through compassionate parenting and produce failures, or you could turn them into winners by making your passions their passions!

 

How Helicopter Parent Works

This is a fast-paced card game in which you must match your child’s talents to the world’s tastes and your own dreams for their success, without breaking them, and in competition with other parents.

We can all change, but change is never easy. Your children change as they develop in their own natural rhythms – the 3 rounds of the game that separate Toddler Time, Childhood, and Adolescence. Some children have success early and become addicted to its sweet taste, while others become hungry through frustration.

 Each round players quickly trade cards.

You must decide if you will continue to cling to the vision of your child’s future that you have nurtured or adjust your hopes to their real talents. Pushing your child to achieve the impossible can bring disaster on the family, but giving up on them might be even worse! But which talents to focus on? Some activities are rare, some are common, and their value can change. The more activities that a child is doing the higher the chance that they will crack under the pressure. 

Don’t worry if your children had a tough time early in life – you can always turn angst into a music career or a novel during the Adolescence round.

And success can be a mixed blessing by breeding complacency and causing the ‘Johnny Peak Early’ effect. Make these calculations while keeping an eye on the changing value of activities as players respond to the community’s choices in the first round. And decide when to play your ‘Helicopter Card’ and clear away some of life’s obstacles for your cherub. Be the parent your children deserve!