幫孩子掃清障礙的“掃雪機父母”

作業不會做，有爸爸幫忙解決；手工不會做，有媽媽來完成；哪門功課稍有落后，家教立馬就請過來了。他們的要求只有一點：孩子，你要成功。這樣的父母被稱為“掃雪機父母”。他們會幫助孩子掃清前進道路上的所有障礙。

Most of us are familiar with the concept of the 'helicopter parent' who hovers anxiously over their child's every move. But now a new parenting type has been identified - and experts say 'snowplough parents', who clear every obstacle from their child's path while piling on the pressure to achieve, can be every bit as damaging.

我們大部分人對“直升機父母”這個概念已經比較熟悉了，這一類父母時刻都在關注孩子的一舉一動。現在又出現了新的一類父母——掃雪機父母，他們會掃清孩子成功路上的所有障礙，但同時也因此給孩子造成很多壓力，專家認為這種教育方式讓孩子受害不淺。

Snowplough parenting is becoming increasingly common in the UK as well as the US with nearly a quarter of teenagers supplied with tutors by their parents in a bid to boost their grades. They let nothing stand in the way of their children’s success, even though they may be robbing them of the opportunity to build resilience. Children are becoming 'terrified of failure' and being turned into 'achievement machines' by their parents.

掃雪機父母在英國和美國日漸增多，約有四分之一的青少年都有父母請的家教幫他們提高學習成績。他們絕不讓任何事成為孩子成功路上的障礙，雖然他們這樣做可能讓孩子失去了鍛煉自己適應能力的機會。孩子們因此變得“懼怕失敗”，被家長逼成了“追求成功的機器”。

After school classes, intensive music lessons and an emphasis on besting the competition in team sports are all favorites of the snowplough parent, who also, on occasion, take charge of their children's homework.

學校放學以后，密集的音樂課程和團體運動中的能力加強練習都是掃雪機父母們中意的項目，偶爾他們還會幫孩子做作業。

As a result of increasing parental pressure, one in 10 university students suffers from mental health problems while others find themselves unable to cope without help from Mum and Dad and an army of private tutors. (Source: Mail online)

由于父母帶來的壓力，每十個大學生中就有一個心理上有問題，而其他孩子則面臨沒有父母和家教大軍的幫助就無法完成任務的窘境。

（中國日報網英語點津 Helen）