Disturbing

I found this article at ajc.com this morning, and I am overly disturbed by it. What do y'all think? jhw

Boomer parents hover over careers of offspring
By TAMMY JOYNER
Published on: 05/30/07

Shortly after one Emory University student was rejected for an internship at a prestigious Wall Street firm, the student's mother called Emory's career center: Could someone there get the firm to reconsider? Never mind that the student had missed a sitdown session and canceled a phone interview with the company.
"Her mother got into full swing," said Tariq Shakoor, director of the career center. "She felt we should do more to get her daughter this internship."
A recent Georgia State University breakfast for MBA candidates drew 200 people, including two dozen parents who asked most of the questions, said Diane Fennig, GSU's director of graduate student services at the Robinson College of Business.
"I wouldn't have expected it at the graduate school level, but they're here."
Boy, are they here.
About 1.3 million college graduates will enter the job market this summer as interns or full-time workers. Hovering close by will be Mom and Dad, running interference in job searches and pay-package negotiations, even fighting to salvage job offers that fall through.
Previous generations of college students couldn't wait to cut the parental apron strings with the start of their first job. This crop of new workers is unapologetically tied to their uber-involved parents, known for years in academic circles — and now in corporate America — as "helicopter parents."
And the current job market may enable the coddling to continue, at least for a little while.
"The market for college graduates is very strong," said John Silvia, chief economist for Wachovia Corp. in Charlotte. This year's college graduates are seeing 5 percent to 10 percent more in pay than peers a year ago.
Seeking parents' buy-in
"It's very competitive," Silvia said. "A lot of these people are being courted."
Want to entice them with career opportunities? Talk to their parents. The military picked up on that cue with its television commercials that are geared toward young people but seek parental buy-in.
Parts of corporate America are following suit:
• Ernst & Young sends copies of job offer letters to the parents of recruits.
"Parents are more involved because the actual search process and decisions students make when they graduate from college is a little more sophisticated," said Jeff Anderson, Southeast director of alumni relations and former director of human resources and recruiting at E&Y in Atlanta. "There's more options."
• Financial management giant Merrill Lynch hosts a lunch and tours of its trading floor in New York City for a small group of summer interns and their parents.
"The most important thing for us is to get the absolute best and brightest talent," spokeswoman Selena Morris said. "If part of that means making parents and students comfortable, then we're all for it."
Morris is quick to add, "There's a line. You hear about parents going to interviews. We're a big organization so I'm sure it happens. We obviously don't encourage it."
But they've come to expect it.
From the moment they were born, millenials — those born between 1982 and 2002 — have been praised, pampered, prodded and protected. Every step of their lives — from preschool to college, from band practice to prepping for SAT exams — has been structured by their mostly baby boomer parents.
"These have been the 'Buckle Up for Safety' kids," said Michele Borba, an educational psychologist in Palm Springs, Calif.
They were the first group of kids required to ride in car seats and later wore bike helmets. They redefined success as accomplishments that could be measured in GPA averages and SAT scores. Their parents heralded their milestones in the window or on the bumper of their SUVs.
Cellphones, instant messaging, e-mail and other technology has reattached the umbilical cord for this group. Helicopter parents just charge right past federal laws aimed at giving students more privacy.
Kiss of death?
Emory's Dean of Students Bridget Riordan recalled when a parent had his 20-year-old student sign a waiver so he could talk to the student's counselor. "The counseling sessions are supposed to be confidential," Riordan said.
Experts warn such meddling could emotionally and professionally stunt these young people.
"The helicopter parent might be the kiss of death," said workplace expert John Challenger. "It shows how baby boomers are still influencing changes at work. This generation of children has grown up without much autonomy. I'm hopeful this is just a fad."
Anna Ivey, a Cambridge, Mass., career expert, said the topic of helicopter parents is one of the most talked-about on her blog. "This is truly a phenomenon of the New Millenium."
Companies have enlisted her help in deconstructing this new breed of worker.
"I do everything from checking their voice-mail greetings to coaching them on how to sound and be more professional on the phone," Ivey said.
She also does what she calls "M&D" — short for Mom and Dad — coaching.
"We have our own little 12-step," Ivey said, only half-joking. "Their intentions are good, but they're really holding their kids back, and their kids are paying a price for this."
Spending time together
Andrea Hershatter is an Emory University associate dean who is personally and professionally familiar with millenials and helicopter parents.
She's written about millenials. She's also a mother of two: Jessica, 17, who will attend Emory in the fall, and Justin, 15. Her husband Bruce, a radiation oncologist at Emory, leaves most of the helicopter-piloting to her.
She and her daughter shop together, watch "Veronica Mars" together, go to chick flicks and talk by cellphone throughout the day.
"I've never had to experience the teen years," said Hershatter. "We spend a ton of time together."
But Jessica has learned how to rein her mom in. She recently asked her mom to look at her college essay, moments before she mailed it. "So it was too late for me to micromanage the process," Hershatter said, laughing.
Hershatter knows her limits. Even Jessica agrees.
"My mom tends to let me fend for myself, but she likes to be there to make sure everything's fine," said Jessica, who graduated from the Galloway School in Atlanta last week.
And she has her own thoughts on helicopter parents. "I think if parents tend to hover and not let kids learn by making mistakes that would be potentially disastrous in the future," Jessica said. "Kids will either not know how to do anything for themselves or they'll rebel."