Back in November 2006, MSNBC did a story on something called “Helicopter Parents , these are parents of the millennial generation who confront college professors when they believe their child was treated unfairly, prepare resumes when their offspring begin a job search, and have actually been known to try to negotiate compensation packages, and parachute into performance management conferences to go to bat for their “adult child! On the Today Show this morning Matt Lauer interviewed Michelle Borba, an educational psychologist, on this phenomenon. In short, Dr. Borba’s conclusion was that it is one thing to be involved in your child’s life and quite another to try to run it. Her advice to helicopter parents: “Back off!
I completely agree. I am reminded of my days coaching traveling soccer and baseball about twenty years ago. I loved working with the kids and teaching them how to play , particularly the subtleties of baseball. Yet, I did not enjoy dealing with what I called “nightmare parents , those who would insert themselves into the situation and make my life and their son or daughter’s life miserable.
Now employers have to deal with parents who are managing the lives and careers of their adult children. The scary part is that according to the research cited by Michelle Borba, 3 out of 4 children actually approve of their parents’ behavior and seem to be OK with one or both parents confronting their manager at the workplace. Pushing this behavior to the extreme, what would happen when we elect a member of this millennial generation as President , does that mean the country will actually be run by their parents? Think about the consequences of this behavior. These “helicopter parents are creating an entire generation of people who will not be able to function independently in a healthy way in working with others. It is time for employers to take a stand and stop this absurd behavior.