snowplow parent

English

Alternative forms

• snowplough parent (British spelling)

Etymology

For their insistence on removing all obstacles in their children's paths.

Noun

snowplow parent (plural snowplow parents)

1. (derogatory) A parent who intervenes to prevent their child from facing obstacles and difficulties.
   • 2011, Daniel McLean, Amy Hurd, Kraus' Recreation and Leisure in Modern Society, →ISBN, page 150:

     Both helicopter and snowplow parents are raising children to believe they have few faults and will always be successful.

   • 2014, Malcolm Gauld, College Success Guaranteed 2.0: 5 Rules for Parents, →ISBN, page 83:

     In A Nation of Wimps, Hara Marano observes that even the “Helicopter Parent” has become passé, having been replaced by the “Snowplow Parent.”

   • 2018, Judy L Arnall, Unschooling To University, →ISBN, page 125:

     When schools protect children from low marks they are acting as "snowplow" schools, just as parents can be snowplow parents by shoving adversity out of the child's path so they can have a happy life.

   • 2019, Julie Fisher, The Resiliency Puzzle: The Key to Raising Resilient Kids, →ISBN, page 22:

     Learn ways to avoid being a competitive or snowplow parent.

See also

• helicopter parent