Snowplow parents

[rockvillemom]

<p>Great article from Slate by Brooke Donatone:</p>

<p>[Brooke</a> Donatone](<a href=“http://www.slate.com/authors.brooke_donatone.html]Brooke”>Brooke Donatone)</p>

<p>“Why Millenials Can’t Grow Up”</p>

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Millennials do have to face some issues that previous generations did not. A college degree is now the career equivalent of what a high school degree used to be. This increases the pressure on kids to go to college and makes the process more competitive. The sluggish economy no longer yields a wealth of jobs upon graduation.</p>

<p>Rates of depression are soaring among millennials in college. A 2012 study by the American College Counseling Association reported a 16 percent increase in mental-health visits since 2000 and a significant increase in crisis response over the past five years. According to recent studies, 44 percent of college students experienced symptoms of depression, and suicide is one of the leading causes of death among college students.

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The big problem is not that they think too highly of themselves. Their bigger challenge is conflict negotiation, and they often are unable to think for themselves. The overinvolvement of helicopter parents prevents children from learning how to grapple with disappointments on their own. If parents are navigating every minor situation for their kids, kids never learn to deal with conflict on their own. Helicopter parenting has caused these kids to crash land.

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<p>This resonates with me. Learning to fail at something and then pick yourself back up is such an important life skill.</p>