Helicopter Parent

I try very hard not to be a helicopter parent. You know the one that hovers over their child and tries to make everything go smoothly. But it is very hard. This weekend's example is Whitney's History Day project. She and her partner had to do an exhibit on Walt Disney. Whitney had written a big paper on him in the fall and now they had to put together a presentation board following very specific rules. The two of them got together over the course of several weekends to throw around ideas. The good thing is that they have known each other since about 3rd grade so they really get along well and they listen to each other. They did ask for advice a couple of times but I never offered it without asking. I did get a couple of things for them because I knew people who had Mickey Mouse punches from scrapbooking and another Disney fanatic. But this weekend was the big put the whole board together. This thing is huge. So with all my scrapbooking tools I knew I could be some help. I used the glue and cutting tools I had but the girls really decided what the whole content was. So the question I asked myself was "Am I helicoptering?" Did I step over some line in the assistance I gave? And I've decided that I didn't. I didn't make any choices on content or placement. All I did was cut and paste (kindergarten skilles that everyone should have). Whitney and Jaime deserve all the credit for how fantastic it works. So I think I can sleep easy with the knowledge that I didn't helicopter to the point of overbearing. The grade they get is their's that they earned.