Is it any wonder that we have young people who can’t make a decision for themselves…
College officials tend to shy away from the term “helicopter parent” because of its negative connotation. At ASU, they call them “engaged” parents.
“We find that students with engaged parents have a much more successful transition to college,” Barth says.
But being an engaged parent also means giving up the day-to-day hold on your student’s life, says Mistalene Calleroz-White, dean of student affairs at ASU’s Tempe campus. Now, the parents’ role is to act like a coach or cheerleader. Be supportive, she says, but encourage students to cope on their own. Like her husband, when Randa went to college in 1979, it was with little fanfare. Her mother helped her move into the dorm and took her daughter to lunch before leaving her on her own for the first time: “That’s what parents did back then.”
These days, parents want to be a part of everything.
When these kids finish school, unlike prior generations, don’t be surprised when they move back home for years until they (and their parents) feel it safe enough to leave.
Dad dropped me and my bag off in front of the military school, lit a new cigar and drove away…