A few months ago, there was a story in the WSJ about helicopter parents who continue to hover long after their children have left the nest. Astoundingly, bosses who give 20-somethings bad evals at work, or fire them have been subjected to angry calls from parents.
I told this to an acquaintance whose son is 23 and just landed a job with a high tech firm and to my amazement she told me she would do the same. She could not imagine her darling being fired for any just reason. She said firmly “he’s my son and I will fight for him until the day I die.”
The idea that parents ought to teach kids to fight their own battles is vanishing. When I was in high school, a teacher gave me an “F” on a paper because she thought I had plagarized it. I had not, and I met with her and then went to the principal and argued my case. I even prepared a little “brief” – which was longer than the original term paper! My grade was changed to a “B” and I ended up with an “A” in the class. My parents never knew a thing about it, and I was proud that I had addressed the issue myself – it seemed so adult.
Too bad many kids today will never know the satisfaction that comes from standing up for themselves, without running off for help from mommy and daddy and lawyers.
And of course, there are scary societal implications here. Obama and socialism are very attractive to many young people because they yearn for a Big Daddy who is going to take care of them.
