Helicopter parenting
One unique feature that makes the work of Whitbourne popular is the specific subject matter on social issue ‘Helicopter parenting'. Her article is informal simply because she intends to attract a general readership using informal tone. She writes this article with a purpose of promoting her point of view on parenting. Her audiences are helicopter parents-those who over control and overprotect their children and indulgent parents-those who provide few rules and have low expectations for their children (Whitbourne, 1). The author meets the expectations of helicopter parents since she supports that parent-child bond increases emotional support and parental involvement helps children during the transition to adulthood. This popular source has an effective structure in that the author introduces the general audiences to the topic and she takes her position for the audience to get the picture of the entire topic. The source contains a sense of purpose where audiences learn the significance of the topic and its implications (Whitbourne, 1).
Whitbourne uses the work of Fingerman to make her work credible. For instance, Fingerman and her team conducted a study where parents and children were involved. The participants reported on parental involvement and support and how it affects their lives. The findings showed that children who received intense support from their parents experienced better outcomes, higher life satisfaction, and defined goals (Whitbourne, 1). The strategy that Whitbourne uses is employing finding based on other researchers. This is a real-world example and the use of a persuasive tone makes the non-technical audience understand the point of view. Whitbourne's work is credible by first, being empathetic through viewing both sides of helicopter parenting and second, by using credible evidence from other views on a benefit of helicopter parenting. However, she needs to be more credible by employing some strategies as Fingerman does. For instance, Fingerman conducts an empirical test to gain knowledge through observation. Fingerman and her team gain a qualitative data where parents and children give their reports and opinions (Whitbourne, 1). Whitbourne would accomplish more credibility by collecting data and presenting unique perspectives on the discussed topic. Through data collection, her work would appear more credible since the audience is not interested in quantity but quality information (Whitbourne, 1).
Work cited
Whitbourne K. Susan. The Myth of the Helicopter Parent. Sussex Publishers, 2013
