Some moms are taking helicopter parenting to a whole new level.<\/p>\n
A new report<\/a> in New York<\/em> magazine describes how some moms arrange playdates for their college kids on social media apps such as Facebook and WhatsApp.<\/p>\n It’s a trend that’s an outgrowth of groups created for parents of students at various universities: “Some groups are schoolwide, while others are specific to a cohort \u2014 graduating class, dorm, fraternity or sorority, team sport,” the magazine reported.<\/p>\n While much of the online banter is basic questions and helpful tips, some moms fret for their kids: \u201cPeople will ask, \u2018My kid is in X class. Does anyone know what the curve is going to be?\u2019 Or \u2018Has anyone\u2019s kid taken calculus? Is it hard?\u2019 And then there will be questions like \u2018Where should my kid get their hair cut?\u2019 This is a kid you sent off to live on their own. Could they ask an RA or do a Google search?\u201d<\/p>\n Then some moms take it<\/a> a step further:<\/p>\n “Some parents also use these sites to send out the Bat-Signal for their children. \u201cThere were definitely a lot of posts that said, \u2018My child has no friends,\u2019 and of course that\u2019s heartbreaking,\u201d says Ali, a Manhattan mom of twins. Dozens of parents responded to one such post, offering up their own kids for a playdate or suggesting that the lonely kid join a club. One shared an idea that worked for their daughter: \u201cShe organized a listening party to the Taylor Swift album drop in the fall and she brought back a game or two with the idea of throwing a game night??\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n The news comes as the current generation of parents stand accused of being so-called “helicopter” moms and dads. As a result, universities today teach students \u201chow to adult<\/a>,\u201d as well as\u00a0offer classes<\/a>\u00a0on\u00a0how to fail.<\/a><\/p>\n As The College Fix<\/em> has frequently reported over the years, campus counseling centers are also overwhelmed by distraught students seeking help. Depression and anxiety rates among young people are also high right now<\/a>.<\/p>\n The moms interviewed for the piece were reportedly “trying to find the line between helpful and harmful.”<\/p>\n But the article also lists several examples of parents trying to solve other basic problems for their kids on the groups. For example, one parent wanted help figuring out how to ask her daughter’s roommate for more space in their shared mini-fridge.<\/p>\n Laurence Steinberg, a psychology professor at Temple University and the author of “You and Your Adult Child,” told<\/a> New York<\/em> magazine he understands why moms would be so hyper-involved in their adult children’s lives.<\/p>\n \u201cThis generation has been very, very involved in their kids\u2019 lives from the get-go. I think it\u2019s hard to stop behaving that way,\u201d he said. \u201cMany simply don\u2019t know what their kids\u2019 abilities are because they don\u2019t have a lot of evidence one way or the other.”<\/p>\n