Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Home and Family

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Taming Childhood?

  • 378 Accesses

Abstract

Changes within parenting have seen an intensification of parental involvement in children’s lives. A context of children as becomings against a backdrop of risk has led to parents being involved in decision-making to a much greater extent and to an increased level of supervision. The rise in helicopter parenting acts to impoverish childhood and restrict children’s agency. Children’s access to spaces beyond the home contributes to a sense in which childcare is concerned with containment. Being a good parent then becomes dominated by surveillance with a focus on knowing where children are and what they are doing at all times. This leads to a tame childhood where opportunities to develop are restricted

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
eBook
USD 16.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 59.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Aries, P. 1962. Centuries of Childhood: A Social History of Family Life. New York, NY: Vintage Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Barbalet, J. M. 1998. Emotion, Social Theory & Social Structure: Towards a Macrosociological Approach. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bond, E. 2010. Managing Mobile Relationships: Children’s Perceptions of the Impact of the Mobile Phone on Relationships in Their Everyday Lives. In: Childhood-Copenhagen Then London-Munksgaard Then Sage. Denmark: Sage.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bond, E. 2013. Mobile Phones, Risk and Responsibility: Understanding Children’s Perceptions. Cyberpsychology, 7, Article 3.

    Google Scholar 

  • BPAS. 2018. Social Media, SRE, and Sensible Drinking: Understanding the Dramatic Decline in Teenage Pregnancy. Stratford: British Pregnancy Advisory Service.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bridges, D. 2010. Government’s Construction of the Relation Between Parents and Schools in the Upbringing of Children in England: 1963–2009. Educational Theory, 60, 299–324.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bristow, J. 2014. The Double Bind of Parenting Culture: Helicopter Parents and Cotton Wool Kids. In: Lee, E., Bristow, J., Faircloth, C., & Macvarish, J. (eds.), Parenting Culture Studies. New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Brownlie, J., & Anderson, S. 2006. “Beyond Anti-smacking”: Rethinking Parent–Child Relations. Childhood: A Global Journal of Child Research, 13, 479–498.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bugler, T. 2018. Parents’ Fears Stop Children Cycling or Walking to School. The Times.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cameron, D. 2011. Troubled Families Speech. In: Cabinet Office (ed.). London.

    Google Scholar 

  • Carver, A., Watson, B., Shaw, B., & Hillman, M. 2013. A Comparison Study of Children’s Independent Mobility in England and Australia. Children’s Geographies, 11, 461–475.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Children’s Commissioner. 2013. A Child Rights Impact Assessment of the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Bill (Parts 1–6, 9).

    Google Scholar 

  • Cockcroft, T., Bryant, R., & Keval, H. 2016. The Impact of Dispersal Powers on Congregating Youth. Safer Communities, 15, 213–222.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Connely, K. 2018. Child Drownings in Germany Linked to Parents’ Phone ‘Fixation’. The Guardian.

    Google Scholar 

  • Corby, F. H. 2015. Parenting Support: How Failing Parents Understand the Experience. Journal of Education & Social Policy, 2(8), 11–24.

    Google Scholar 

  • Crawford, A. 2009. Criminalizing Sociability Through Anti-social Behaviour Legislation: Dispersal Powers, Young People and the Police. Youth Justice, 9, 5–26.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Crawford, A., & Lister, S. 2008. Young People, Police and Dispersal Powers. Safer Communities, 7, 4–7. April 1.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Crawford, S. B., Bennetts, S. K., Hackworth, N. J., Cooldin, A. R., Nicholson, J. M., Green, J., Graesser, H., Matthews, J., D’esposito, F., Strazdins, L., & Zubrick, S. R. 2017. Worries, ‘Weirdos’, Neighborhoods and Knowing People: A Qualitative Study with Children and Parents Regarding Children’s Independent Mobility. Health & Place, 45, 131–139.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • De Magalhaes, C., & Trigo, S. F. 2017. Contracting Out Publicness: The Private Management of the Urban Public Realm and Its Implications. Progress in Planning, 115, 1–28.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fingerman, K. L., Cheng, Y.-P., Wesselmann, E. D., Zarit, S., Furstenberg, F., & Birditt, K. S. 2012. Helicopter Parents and Landing Pad Kids: Intense Parental Support of Grown Children. Journal of Marriage & Family, 74, 880–896.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Foster, S., Villanueva, K., Wood, L., Christian, H., & Giles-Corti, B. 2014. The Impact of Parents’ Fear of Strangers and Perceptions of Informal Social Control on Children’s Independent Mobility. Health & Place, 26, 60–68.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Foyster, E. 2013. The ‘New World of Children’ Reconsidered: Child Abduction in Late Eighteenth- and Early Nineteenth-Century England. Journal of British Studies, 52, 669–692.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Francis, J., Martin, K., Wood, L., & Foster, S. 2017. ‘I’ll Be Driving You to School for the Rest of Your Life’: A Qualitative Study of Parents’ Fear of Stranger Danger. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 53, 112–120.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Freeman, M., & Saunders, B. J. 2014. Can We Conquer Child Abuse If We Don’t Outlaw Physical Chastisement of Children? International Journal of Children’s Rights, 22, 681–709.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Furedi, F. 2008. Paranoid Parenting: Why Ignoring the Experts May Be Best for Your Child. London: Bloomsbury.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gallagher, B. 2008. Fear of the Unknown. Safer Communities, 7, 22–25. July 1.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Garrett, P. M. 2009. ‘Transforming’ Children’s Services? Social Work, Neoliberalism and the ‘Modern’ World. Maidenhead, UK: Open University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Garrett, P. B. 2018. Welfare Words: Critical Social Work & Social Policy. London: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • George, M., & Odgers, C. 2015. Seven Fears and the Science of How Mobile Technologies May Be Influencing Adolescents in the Digital Age. Perspectives on Psychological Science: A Journal of the Association for Psychological Science, 10, 832–851.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gillis, J. 2009. Transitions to Modernity. In: Qvortrup, J., Corsaro, W. A., & Honig, M.-S. (eds.), The Palgrave Handbook of Childhood Studies. London: Palgrave.

    Google Scholar 

  • Guldberg, H. 2009. Reclaiming Childhood: Freedom and Play in an Age of Fear. London: Routledge.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Hamilton-Giachritsis, C., Whittle, H., Beech, A., & Collings, G. 2013. A Review of Online Grooming: Characteristics and Concerns. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 18, 62–70.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hasinoff, A. A. 2017. Where Are You? Location Tracking and the Promise of Child Safety. Television & New Media, 18, 496–512.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Heywood, C. 2018. A History of Childhood. Cambridge: Polity Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Horton, J., Christensen, P., Kraftl, P., & Hadfield-Hill, S. 2014. ‘Walking … Just Walking’: How Children and Young People’s Everyday Pedestrian Practices Matter. Social & Cultural Geography, 15, 94–115.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jenkins, N. E. 2006. ‘You Can’t Wrap Them Up in Cotton Wool!’ Constructing Risk in Young People’s Access to Outdoor Play. Health, Risk & Society, 8, 379–393.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Johnstone, C. 2016. After the Asbo: Extending Control Over Young People’s Use of Public Space in England and Wales. Critical Social Policy, 36, 716–726.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kildare, C. A., & Middlemiss, W. 2017. Impact of Parents Mobile Device Use on Parent–Child Interaction: A Literature Review. Computers in Human Behavior, 75, 579–593.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kish, A. M., & Newcombe, P. A. 2015. “Smacking Never Hurt Me!” Identifying Myths Surrounding the Use of Corporal Punishment. Personality and Individual Differences, 87, 121–129.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lemoyne, T., & Buchanan, T. 2011. Does ‘Hovering’ Matter? Helicopter Parenting and Its Effect on Well-Being. Sociological Spectrum, 31, 399–418.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leverett, S. 2011. Children’s Spaces. In: Foley, P., & Leverett, S. (eds.), Children and Young Peoples Spaces: Developing Practice. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Lewis, J. 2011. Parenting Programmes in England: Policy Development and Implementation Issues, 2005–2010. Journal of Social Welfare & Family Law, 33, 107–121.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Malone, K. 2007. The Bubble-Wrap Generation: Children Growing Up in Walled Gardens. Environmental Education Research, 13, 513–527.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Marano, H. E. 2004. A Nation of Wimps. Psychology Today.

    Google Scholar 

  • Padilla-Walker, L. M., & Nelson, L. J. 2012. Black Hawk Down? Establishing Helicopter Parenting as a Distinct Construct from Other Forms of Parental Control During Emerging Adulthood. Journal of Adolescence, 35, 1117–1190.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pain, R. 2006. Paranoid Parenting? Rematerializing Risk and Fear for Children. Social & Cultural Geography, 7, 221–243.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Peluchette, J. V. E., Kovanic, N., & Partridge, D. 2013. Helicopter Parents Hovering in the Workplace: What Should HR Managers Do? Business Horizons, 56, 601–609.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Perry, N. B., Dollar, J. M., Calkins, S. D., Keane, S. P., & Shanahan, L. 2018. Childhood Self-Regulation as a Mechanism Through Which Early Overcontrolling Parenting Is Associated with Adjustment in Preadolescence. Developmental Psychology, 54, 1542–1555.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Radesky, J., Miller, A. L., Rosenblum, K. L., Appugliese, D., Kaciroti, N., & Lumeng, J. C. 2015. Maternal Mobile Device Use During a Structured Parent–Child Interaction Task. Academic Pediatrics, 15, 238–244.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Romagnoli, A., & Wall, G. 2012. ‘I know I’m a Good Mom’: Young, Low-Income Mothers’ Experiences with Risk Perception, Intensive Parenting Ideology and Parenting Education Programmes. Health, Risk & Society, 14, 273–289.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sayer, T. 2008. Critical Practice in Working with Children. Basingstoke, NY: Palgrave Macmillan.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Schiffrin, H., Godfrey, H., Liss, M., & Erchull, M. 2015. Intensive Parenting: Does It Have the Desired Impact on Child Outcomes? Journal of Child & Family Studies, 24, 2322–2331.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shaw, B., Watson, B., Frauendienst, B., Redecker, A., Jones, T., & Hillman, M. 2013. Children’s Independent Mobility: A Comparative Study in England and Germany (1971–2010). London: Policy Studies Institute.

    Google Scholar 

  • Simpson, B. 2014. Tracking Children, Constructing Fear: GPS and the Manufacture of Family Safety. Information and Communications Technology Law, 23, 273–285.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith, K. M. 2014. The Government of Childhood: Discourse, Power and Subjectivity. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stearns, P. N. 2003. Anxious Parents: A History of Modern Childrearing in America. New York: New York University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stern, J. 2014. Loneliness and Solitude in Education: How to Value Individuality and Create an Enstatic School. Oxford and New York: Peter Lang.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sutterby, J. A. 2009. What Kids Don’t Get to Do Anymore and Why. Childhood Education, 85, 289–292.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tovey, H. 2007. Playing Outdoors: Spaces and Places, Risk and Challenge. Maidenhead: McGraw-Hill and Open University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Van Ingen, D. J., Freiheit, S. R., Steinfeldt, J. A., Moore, L. L., Wimer, D. J., Knutt, A. D., Scapinello, S., & Roberts, A. 2015. Helicopter Parenting: The Effect of an Overbearing Caregiving Style on Peer Attachment and Self-Efficacy. Journal of College Counseling, 18, 7–20.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Veltkamp, G., & Brown, P. 2017. The Everyday Risk Work of Dutch Child-Healthcare Professionals: Inferring ‘Safe’ and ‘Good’ Parenting Through Trust, as Mediated by a Lens of Gender and Class. Sociology of Health & Illness, 39, 1297–1313.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vincent, C. 2017. “The Children Have Only Got One Education and You Have to Make Sure It’s a Good One”: Parenting and Parent–School Relations in a Neoliberal Age. Gender and Education, 29, 541–557.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vincent, C., & Maxwell, C. 2016. Parenting Priorities and Pressures: Furthering Understanding of ‘Concerted Cultivation’. Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education, 37, 269–281.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vota, N. 2017. Keeping the Free-Range Parent Immune from Child Neglect: You Cannot Tell Me How to Raise My Children. Family Court Review, 55, 152–167.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Warnock, M. 2004. Making Babies: Is There a Right to Have Children? Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Whittle, H., Hamilton-Giachritsis, C., Beech, A., & Collings, G. 2013. A Review of Young People’s Vulnerabilities to Online Grooming. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 18, 135–146.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, X. 2017. Identifying Consumerist Privately Owned Public Spaces: The Ideal Type of Mass Private Property. Urban Studies, 54, 3464–3479.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Psychological and Social Sciences, York St John University, York, UK

    Rob Creasy

  2. School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Law, Teesside University, Middlesbrough, UK

    Fiona Corby

Authors
  1. Rob Creasy
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Fiona Corby
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Rob Creasy .

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2019 The Author(s)

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Creasy, R., Corby, F. (2019). Home and Family. In: Taming Childhood?. Palgrave Pivot, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-11842-6_4

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-11842-6_4

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Pivot, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-11841-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-11842-6

  • eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation