Over the next few weeks, millions of college students will be either starting their college careers or returning to campus as upperclassmen in pursuit of their bachelor degrees.
By now, most of us have heard of overprotective parents. A few years ago, this term was reinforced and came to a grinding, legal halt.
In December 2012, Aubrey Ireland, a then 21-year-old music theater major at the College Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati, was successful in having a judge enforce a restraining order against her parents. According to Ireland, her parents would unexpectedly drop in on her, accused her of suffering from mental illness and being promiscuous and they would aggressively monitor her cell phone messages. The suit required that Ireland’s parents had to stay at least 500 feet away from her and have no contact with her until September 2013.
While this particular case may be an extreme example of parental involvement, the fact is that the phenomenon of helicopter parents has become commonplace. In fact, some parents have become so deeply imbedded in the lives of their children that they have replaced the previous definition of helicopter parents and have become known as snow plow parents. From college campuses to workplaces, a number of parents have deeply imposed themselves into their children’s lives even once they reach adulthood. The fact is that parents are well aware of the fact that they are snow plow parents and do not apologize for being so. Others are often unaware for their impositions and are in denial.
Regardless of awareness or cluelessness, the fact is that, for some young adults, the level of constant monitoring from parents is frustrating, wearisome and, in some cases, exhausting. While some parents see nothing wrong with this, a number of psychologists and other experts say that such smothering behavior can be problematic. According to Dr. Michael Zentman, director of the Adelphi Postdoctoral Program in Marriage and Couple Therapy, some parents fail to realize that, by constantly intervening in their children’s lives, they may very well be hindering their maturation process and making them less self-sufficient.
According to a number of experts, the following are symptoms of helicopter/snow plow parents:
· Calling your college age child every single day
