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Take the Test; Are you a helicopter parent?

College administrators, many of whom are parents, know how tough parenting is. They fully realize how much parents worry about their children and how everbody wants the best for them.

However, just ask a college dean, faculty member, or residence hall director about his/her interactions with helicopter parents, and you will soon see how unwelcome they are on college campuses.

What is a so-called helicopter parent? Just remember that a helicopter can hover almost endlessly, and you have your answer. "Although college is the time when most parents, like it or not, 'let go' of their children", says a dean at a southern university, "helicopter parents slow their kids' growth by being unable or unwilling to do so, so everybody loses".

Are you guilty of being a helicopter parent? Take this test. One affirmative answer means you probably are; two affirmative answers erases all doubt, and three positive responses means you have some real work to do.

1. On college visits, did you talk to students and staff more than your child did?

2. Did you respond to questions directed to your student during college visits?

3. Did you complete or help your child complete his/her applications for college admission?

4. Did you help write the admissions essay?

5. Would you intervene if your child and his/her roommate were not getting along well?

6. If you are convinced that your child is being treated unfairly by an instructor, would you become involved?

7. Did you rule out a college within a 5-6 drive of your home because you thought it was too far away?

Please think about your answers to these question. And, consider the advice of educators that you allow your college-age children to develop a sense of self-reliance, find their own solutions to problems, and make their own decisions whenever possible. By all means, continue to help and advise them, but only when necessary. It's for their own good. Really.

Article Source: http://www.articleadventure.com

Dr. Casper Poodel is very interested in online education of all kinds. His websites are on subjects including online schools, how to choose an online college and how to earn an accredited online degree.

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