13.09.2019

Vera Iaconelli speaks to parents who act as “helicopters”

We started our Conference Cycle 2019 with the theme “The Good Place of Parents in their Children’s Lives”. The invited speaker, Vera Iaconelli, holds a master’s degree and a doctorate in Psychology and is a columnist at “Folha de S. Paulo”.

In a relaxed talk, parents were invited to reflect on their role in a world of uncertainty and constant changes. Raising children implies asking frequent questions about our choices and actions, always using the path we took as children and the values and meanings that each family establishes as essential. Education goes beyond the school walls and what tools we can provide for children to fit properly into the community they live in.

According to  Vera, parenting goes against the reputation of a good father or mother. Parents must be ready to be questioned, tested and even “hated”. “We will never be the superhero parents that our children fantasize about, and they will probably be disappointed with us  the same way we were disappointed with our parents.”

The specialist says that it is necessary to understand that fathers and mothers should provide tools for their children to live with autonomy. “Those who educate aim to send off their child into the world and not to keep him/her dependent, always having in mind that this is a challenge that we, parents, can take advantage of to also grow.”