Are You A Snowplow Parent? Here's Everything You Need To Know
Key takeaways
- Lately, too, they've been dubbed some choice names (helicopter parenting comes to mind).
- Here, we explain what it is, what it looks like, and what it means for your kids.
- Basically, it's when parents push out obstacles in their kid's way toward a clear future—a la a snowplow.
Why this matters: practical guidance grounded in recent research or expert insight.
Author: Alexandra Engler April 29, 2026Senior Beauty & Lifestyle Director By Alexandra Engler Senior Beauty & Lifestyle Director Alexandra Engler is the senior beauty and lifestyle director at mindbodygreen and host of the beauty podcast Clean Beauty School. Previously, she's held beauty roles at Harper's Bazaar, Marie Claire, SELF, and Cosmopolitan; her byline has appeared in Esquire, Sports Illustrated, and Allure.com Image by Leah Flores / Stocksy April 29, 2026Parenting styles, it seems, are always evolving and adjusting to the times in which they develop—and perhaps as a reaction to the previous iterations of parenting styles. Lately, too, they've been dubbed some choice names (helicopter parenting comes to mind). Snowplow is right up there: A parenting style we've seen bubble up in the last handful of years.
Here, we explain what it is, what it looks like, and what it means for your kids.
Basically, it's when parents push out obstacles in their kid's way toward a clear future—a la a snowplow. "Parents' feeling like it's their job to make sure their kids do not experience any obstacles and therefore do not experience any unhappiness or negative emotion," says licensed psychologist Nicole Beurkens, Ph.D., CNS. "It's tangible about parents removing any negative experience, but what we're really dealing with is parents having a hard time seeing their kid experience uncomfortable or unpleasant feelings."