Helicopter parents do exist. Coincidentally, there appears to be an increased in depression treated at university counseling centers. That does not mean helicopter parents are the cause of their students’ depression. Let’s remove
the designation “helicopter parent” and describe parents who appear to be over-involved with their college-aged students’ lives.
Some college students skip class, don’t turn in papers and assignments on time, earn poor grades, violate college rules, party endlessly, catch the attention of police by speeding, vomiting on the pavement in front of bars, and so on. These examples are not what parents want, but could individually or collectively bring a student to the attention of campus administration and/or campus and local police.
Parental responses are an excellent means of recognizing over-involved parents. I was asked by a handful parents and on multiple occasions if I would awaken a student every morning, maintain a schedule of multiple students and contact them individually (and no leave messages) about test and due dates, contact faculty and administration to “advocate” for students who were failing. not attending class, or found drunk on campus. Some parents asked me to support their calls aka demands to faculty and administration that their students’ behaviors be ignored or forgiven, other wanted forgiveness of poor test grades often coupled with extra time and extra credit,others wanted me to assume responsibility for their students’ behaviors because I had not been vigilant in taking care of their students, and so on. Interestingly, the students themselves expected be bailed out by parents directly or indirectly and did not seem aware that they had a speaking part in the discussions. If you are contacting faculty, administration and/or staff to smooth the way for your students, but provide no evidence that your children have any responsibility for their own behavior. I would consider you a helicopter parent or whatever in the current descriptor of over-involved parents.