Curse You, Igor Sikorsky!

As the moody, irritable, and rebellious teenagers most of us were, we often felt like our parents didn't understand us. We were embarrassed to be seen with them in public, didn't want them asking about any aspect of our lives, and certainly didn't want them involved in any personal business. But compared to obsessiveness of some parents these days, we should really be more thankful for our own.

And thus, a meme was born. 

You might be wondering how parenting relates to a meme; as always, I'll show you, probably in the most convoluted way possible. The meme itself, "don't talk to my or my son ever again," is a catchphrase that is typically featured with an image of an iconic character and a miniature duplicate. The first usage of the phrase is from the video game Mario 64, released in 1996. The meme itself first appeared on Tumblr in 2104, and has steadily grown in popularity through Tumblr and Twitter. The meme isn't all that deep, but thinking about it reminded me of a rather disturbing trend among parents and actually has severe ramifications for the children involved. 

That trend, which you may be familiar with, is helicopter parenting. (Now do you see where I'm going with this? There's always a connection!) If you don't know the term, it goes a little like this: helicopter parents "hover" over their children, controlling every aspect of their lives to an obsessive, and ultimately detrimental, degree. Obviously, having your parents hover over you like that would be both embarrassing and annoying, but it's the kids who have to suffer through it unknowingly that end up paying for it later. 

That time usually comes when the poor kids are about the start college, and boy, is it bad. Parents have called college presidents over roommate disputes, asked to sit in on disciplinary hearings, done their children's homework, and even camped outside to avoid leaving their children alone. Of course, it's hard for all parents to let go, but hovering and intervening critically damages a young person's independence and self-esteem. Both of those skills are crucial for living as an adult; you wouldn't have your mom sit in with you for a job interview, would you? But more and more, these are the types of "adults" that this style of parenting produces. These kids are incredibly dependent on others, have poor coping strategies, and lack conscientiousness and responsibility in a time where it's perhaps most important. 

There's a fine line between involvement and helicoptering, and crossing it has become increasingly common for this generation. My parents want me to call them every week and want to know about my grades, but trust me enough to live my own life away from them, and I can't stress how valuable of an experience that's been. Though a minor example, I've struggled without my parents too; I recently had the flu, and was basically bedridden for two days. This time, I didn't have my mom to look after me; I had to get out of bed and get my own medicine, all while juggling the coursework I'd missed. But having to do things on my own, fail on my own, and live on my own has started to prepare me for the adult world, which is even more different from a college campus than a campus is to our homes. 

So, quick parenting tip: don't hover, or your kid will be that kid that moves back in and doesn't leave until they're 40 or you're dead. Kidding, of course; it's a serious problem that often goes unrecognized, which hampers the great experience that college is. 

*Note: In reference to the post's title; Igor Sikorsky was a pioneer in the invention of the helicopter. Get it?