Helicopter Parenting — Give it UP
The pernicious practice of helicopter parenting — parent who hover over their children and micro-manage their lives — is in the news. A UCLA study found that most college freshmen do not resent the constant interference of their parents — no kidding? Gee ain’t it great to sail through life without having to make any of those difficult decisions, much less those nasty mistakes?
Of course young college students don’t object — they are relieved of all the learning experiences that help them grow up. They can bask in infantile bliss, without a care in the world. What are these parents thinking? The most important lessons of college life are not those learned in the classroom. Making decisions, and learning to live with the outcome, is an important part of the education process.
College is a time to step out of parental control, and learn some self-control. These aren’t children — they are young adults. It is a time to face reality, and learn how to decide those important things that affect the rest of their lives. It is also a time to make bad decisions — how else can you learn? If parents have done their job well, setting the groundwork by instilling values as a basis for sound judgment, their offspring will make more correct choices than wrong ones. It is time for parents to step back and let their youngsters start living their own lives. Trust them, they can do it.