There are two ways to watch over your child. One guides. The other hovers.
A drone parent circles overhead — monitoring every move, swooping in at every stumble, making the child feel watched rather than supported. But a Google Maps parent does something far more powerful: they offer steady, calm direction while letting the child drive.
Think about how Google Maps actually works. It doesn't grab the steering wheel. It doesn't panic when you miss a turn. It simply says, "Recalculating," and offers a new route. It trusts you to drive — but it never stops guiding.
That's the kind of parent every child needs.
They Won't Always Tell You Where They're Going
Sometimes children openly share their dreams, fears, and expectations. Other times, they go quiet. They test boundaries silently. They take detours without announcing them.
This is where most parents make one of two mistakes. They either grab the wheel — becoming forceful, controlling, and overbearing — or they switch off the GPS entirely — becoming so permissive that the child drives without any navigation at all.
Both fail the child.
The Guidance Must Stay On — Always
Your job is to keep the guidance running at all points — gently, consistently, without force. Not barking orders. Not disappearing. Just being the calm voice that says, "There's a better route ahead."
And here's what every parent needs to understand: you cannot spoil a child with too much love. Love is not the problem. Love freely, love loudly, love excessively. What spoils a child is excessive permissiveness — the absence of boundaries disguised as affection. Saying yes to everything isn't love. It's abdication.
The Destination Is Theirs
A Google Maps parent understands something profound: the destination belongs to the child. Your role isn't to choose where they go. It's to help them get there without crashing — and to be ready with a new route when they inevitably take a wrong turn.
Stay on. Stay calm. Keep guiding.
They'll thank you when they arrive.
-Dr. Shishir Palsapure MD MSc
Psychotherapist
Google maps analogy by Dr. Amit Karkare
