A new study published in Springer's Journal of Child and Family Studies suggests helicopter parents might actually be causing mental health problems for their kids.
But even if you’re not over-parenting to the point of making your kids depressed, hyper-involved parents often hurt their students’ chances of admission to college.
Colleges want students who have the initiative, skills and drive to succeed. They want students who can ask for help and advocate for themselves. They want students who are ready to become adults and make a difference in the real world. It’s hard for kids to learn those skills when Mom takes care of everything for them. They have to learn to take care of themselves. Sure, they’ll make some mistakes. But learning from missteps is an important part of the process.
Parents, as your kids progress through high school, it’s time for you to step back and refrain from doing things for them that they should be able to do for themselves. It might not be easy, but let them start making their own decisions. They’ll have more success getting into college. And the research shows they’ll be happier, too.