Boomer Parents Can't Let Go

Boomer parents continue to manage their kid's lives well into college -- to the point that university administrators have nicknames for them:

"Helicopter parents," says Patrick Heaton, FSU's assistant dean of student affairs.

The worst of them, those who do unethical things, like write their kid's term papers, are branded "Black Hawks," a nod to the souped-up military helicopters.

"I also call them tether parents," says Heaton ...

The Gainesville (FL) Sun -- home of the University of Florida -- says that these parents also ...

• log on to their children's ... accounts to check grades, then call deans when they don't like what they see.
• call administrators to complain when their kids can't get into classes they want.
• haggle with job recruiters
• call to wake their kids up for class
• arrange class schedules

Why now? Instant communication, and a child-rearing style unlike any before. The Sun summarizes:

Many boomer parents carefully planned and fiercely protected their children, according to Millennials Rising: The Next Great Generation, by Neil Howe and William Strauss.

They saw their youngsters as "special," and they sheltered them. Parents outfitted their cars with Baby on Board stickers. They insisted their children wear bicycle helmets, knee pads and elbow guards. They scheduled children's every hour with organized extracurricular activities. They led the PTA and developed best friend-like relationships with their children ...

Add this to the list of unintended consequences of deregulation: if long distance phone calls still cost 25¢ / minute and airfare wasn't cheap, these kids could actually live their own lives.