HELICOPTER PARENTS

It’s just another day for this young college student who has jumped into the “beginning” stages of adulthood. He wakes up in his one person dorm room and goes through the male college-age ritual of getting ready in the morning; smell his pants that he wore yesterday to make sure they don’t stink. Gargle mouthwash instead of brush his teethe. Smell his armpits to see if they’re just too ripe to not use deodorant. Right before he walks out the dorm, he hears his computer chirp which means he has a message from someone. He goes over to read the message, and is suddenly filled with shame and embarrassment. Message from mom reads, “I KNOW YOUR NOT GOING TO YOUR CLASSES WITHOUT CLEANING YOUR SELF UP PROPERLY!!” He really hated that darn webcam in his bedroom.

Helicopter parents just don’t know when to let go. They hover over their kids and hinder them from becoming adults. As of lately, they’ve been joining Facebook to have a peek into the secret lives of the children. Their kids don’t have to get jobs if they don’t want to because they’re going to be bogged down with homework, so they buy their kid’s groceries for them, weekly. They spend thousands of dollars to get there college kids “help” from a “doctor” because of their depression and stress they have from being in a new environment. Yeah, some parents take it to an extreme but majority of parents do practice helicoptering. "We estimate that 60% to 70% of parents are involved in some kind of helicoptering behavior," says Patricia Somers, an associate professor of education at the University of Texas-Austin, whose analysis is based on more than 50 interviews with officials from 10 four-year public universities across the USA.

“The desire to be needed is very powerful in parents," says Adele Faber, a Long Island, N.Y., author of parenting books. "To go from that all-powerful parent whose kids desperately need you to someone who sees a child as a separate individual is a very hard journey. We need to help our kids be separate and independent people who can function on their own."

We fear for there safety. We Fear for their spiritual growth. We believe they aren’t ready to face to “real world”. We don’t trust their judgment. I can’t help but to wonder, WHAT THE HECK HAVE THE PARENTS BEEN DOING FOR THE PAST 18 YEARS!!?? Have they not taught their kids anything? DO they doubt the Holy Spirit will guide them? Do they think their prayers for their kids will not reach God’s ears?
"'I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.'"- Jer. 29:11. This is our hope as Christian parents: God is in control and we can trust him. He really does have only the best planned for our children.