Opinion3

Over the last decade, there has been an increase in the amount of influence parents have
over their children's lives. While at first this would seem to be something to be happy
about, hovering excessively over children and teenagers does not prepare them for their
life in the "real world." As a result of the actions of über-intrusive parents, a new term has
been created: helicopter parents.

A "helicopter parent" can be defined as a mother or father who is overprotective of their
children and prevents them from growing and maturing into an adult. While it is important
for parents to love their children and take care of them, it is also important to give some
responsibility to teenagers who are on their way to adulthood.

There is a fine line between offering helpful guidance to teenagers and controlling their
lives. The teenage years are pivotal to molding the morals, values and work ethic that are
important throughout life, which makes a strong sense of responsibility very important.
When parents are too intrusive, it robs their children of the chance to grow up and
become adults.

It is well known that the average person will usually let someone else do a favor for them
rather than doing it themselves. Although it is nice to do good deeds and to do people
favors, this only goes so far. When teenagers get used to having everything done for them
by their parents, it lulls them into a state of irresponsibility and gives them a false view of
reality. When they get to college, most teens who have never had to do anything for
themselves feel overwhelmed and unprepared for life on their own. This makes their
already demanding academic situation even more intense.

Another area where parental intrusion is damaging is in the grades of their students.
When students bring home a grade report full of failing grades, it is almost never the fault
of a teacher. As we have all heard from teachers, they do not give out grades; students
earn them. When teachers take call after call regarding grade complaints, it does nothing
but insult and frustrate them. This issue also goes back to responsibility. When it comes
to academics, the buck should stop with students, not their parents.

Although too much parental intrusion can be a bad thing, it is also incredibly important for
parents to take care of their children and give them the ability to succeed. Few things are
more damaging to human development than growing up without a loving family who
honestly cares. The solution to these issues is a healthy balance of the two extremes.
Parents should have an active role in their children's lives, but should also respect the fact
that the teenage years are the time when we humans learn responsibility and shape the
kind of people we will become.