[Mick]

I'm reminded of former Stanford Dean of Freshman and Transfers Julie Lythcott-Haims' book, How to Raise an Adult, in which she observed the rise of helicopter parenting and how it often backfired. This is perhaps a most extreme example of that.

I remember the first time I ever heard the term "helicopter parenting". My oldest was in his first year of club volleyball, about the sixth practice or so. We were allowed to watch the first two practices, and after that it was drop off and pick up. After a week, the coach had separated the players into first and second teams. When I dropped off my son, the father of one of the second team players was haranguing the coach about playing time. I left, returned two hours later -- and the dad was still harassing the coach. The club director, standing near the entrance muttered derisively "helicopter parent" (although we all fit that definition to an extent). I asked, she told me what it meant. The irony was not lost on me that she made her living from helicopter parents.

Later, one of the older players' parents clued me in -- the club director had been dissatisfied with her son's position on another club, she wanted him to set -- so she started her own club and installed her son as setter. Later on, he played for Stanford.

So that helicopter parent thing can work. And I think Lythcott-Haims is probably more right than wrong. On the other hand, both my wife and I agree that our parents did essentially nothing to prepare us for life, college or anything else, so...helicopter parent was the result. Or tiger parent, depending on how you feel about it.

[Mick]

I'm reminded of former Stanford Dean of Freshman and Transfers Julie Lythcott-Haims' book, How to Raise an Adult, in which she observed the rise of helicopter parenting and how it often backfired. This is perhaps a most extreme example of that.

I remember the first time I ever heard the term "helicopter parenting". My oldest was in his first year of club volleyball, about the sixth practice or so. We were allowed to watch the first two practices, and after that it was drop off and pick up. After a week, the coach had separated the players into first and second teams. When I dropped off my son, the father of one of the second team players was haranguing the coach about playing time. I left, returned two hours later -- and the dad was still harassing the coach. The club director, standing near the entrance muttered derisively "helicopter parent" (although we all fit that definition to an extent). I asked, she told me what it meant. The irony was not lost on me that she made her living from helicopter parents.

Later, one of the older players' parents clued me in -- the club director had been dissatisfied with her son's position on another club, she wanted him to set -- so she started her own club and installed her son as setter. Later on, he played for Stanford.

So that helicopter parent thing can work. And I think Lythcott-Haims is probably more right than wrong. On the other hand, both my wife and I agree that our parents did essentially nothing to prepare us for life, college or anything else, so...helicopter parent was the result. Or tiger parent, depending on how you feel about it.