Helicopter parenting is on the rise. The first decade of the 21st century witnessed the growing number of parents, who were willing to care for their college-aged children. The developed society is confused as to whether helicopter parents can successfully accomplish their mission without limiting the freedoms and choices of their children. On the one hand, helicopter parents provide extensive emotional support to their children, regardless of their age. On the other hand, such parents are described as being too pathetic, defensive, and even ridiculous, as they are trying to care for a grown-up child. Still, the benefits of helicopter parenting should not be disregarded. In the age of serious demographic shifts, considerable advances in technology, and emerging social challenges, helicopter parents can help their college-aged children become more active and successful in their pursuit of the most ambitious learning and career goals.
The phenomenon of helicopter parenting is relatively new. The term is used to describe overprotective parents, who do not try to minimize their involvement with their children’s affairs, even as they grow old and become mature. Helicopter parenting becomes a real challenge, when the child enters college. More often than not, students are expected to be independent in their decision and judgments. Yet, helicopter parents either limit their children in their choices or constantly monitor their activities, decisions, and movements. Still, one should not treat helicopter parenting as an entirely negative phenomenon. After all, it emerges in response to the broader social shifts and promises considerable advantages to college-aged youth.
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Helicopter parenting is a logical product of multiple economic, social, demographic, and technological shifts in the developed society. According to Somers and Settle, as more eighteen-year-olds pursue college education, their dependency on parents also increases (3). Parents retain their active involvement with children’s affairs in an attempt to overcome the competition in college admission and assist their children in entering the best college (Somers & Settle 3). Additionally, more families end up having one or two children, which is why they have enough time, attention, and care to support every child (Somers & Settle 3). Finally, the emergence of new technologies facilitates closer and regular contacts between parents and children (Somers & Settle 4). All these processes offer considerable advantages to college-aged children.
First, helicopter parents have proved to provide greater emotional support to their children, as they pursue the most challenging life goals. Helicopter parenting is a good means to meet the emotional and social needs of children, even when they have entered the age of maturity. Fingerman et al. suggest that, at present, more adolescents and young adults delay their marriage and stay in their parents’ households (881). They are less likely to be in partnership or have a full-time job (Fingerman et al. 881). In other words, contemporary college students experience a longer period of transition from adolescence to adulthood, which is why they require constant support and supervision from their parents (Somers & Settle 4). Apparently, such children will feel better prepared to face the realities of education and career growth, when they are supported by parents.
Second, helicopter parents make their college-aged children more productive. They greatly contribute to the efficacy of the choices made by their children. According to Hoover, “plugged-in parents may help their children succeed” (A22). Simply stated, helicoptering is an excellent way to guide college-aged youth towards their most ambitious goals. The results of the National Survey of Student Engagement imply that college students whose parents actively participate in their lives display higher levels of satisfaction with the learning process (Lipka A1). Such parents provide guidance in choosing the most useful courses and learning strategies, as well as represent a constant channel for communicating students’ concerns. Helicopter parenting is particularly relevant, when college students go to study abroad (Lipka A1). Not surprisingly, more students complain that their parents refrain from being too actively involved in their studies (Hoover A22).
Opponents of helicopter parenting usually speak about the lack of independent thinking and overreliance on parents as the downsides of helicoptering. According to Anonymous, in the age of helicopter parenting, most college students are absolutely unprepared to become productive employees (8). They are believed to rely on their parents even in the simplest situations. Human resources managers see such children be accompanied by their parents to their job interviews (Anonymous 8). They perceive children of helicopter parents as being absolutely unable to make independent decisions. They say that children of helicopter parents are not exposed to the realities of independent life and work as full-time employees; therefore, they do not understand what employers expect from them (Anonymous 8). Not surprisingly, potential employees are reluctant to hire college graduates, who seem to be excessively dependent on their parents.
In reality, being a child of helicopter parents is not an issue. Moreover, future employees can play a considerable role in developing effective workforce. A college-aged applicant who comes to a job interview for the first time has better chances to become a productive employee than a person with considerable workplace experiences and an established view on the job market. Helicopter parenting is a needed reality, as adolescents are growing into young adults. Helicopter parents can help their children navigate through the complexities of college education and first-time employment without major emotional losses. Employees can translate the benefits of helicopter parenting into tangible productivity gains. They simply need to let the child of helicopter parents leverage his or her talent potentials to the fullest.
To conclude, helicopter parenting offers numerous advantages to children. In the age of major social, population, and technological shifts, helicopter parents frequently become the only source of emotional support for college-aged youth. They actively participate in their children’s affairs, making them more productive and focused in their learning efforts. Human resource professionals mention the lack of independence and unpreparedness to enter the job market as the key arguments against helicoptering. However, all they need to do is letting children of helicopter parents realize their talents and workplace potentials to the fullest.
