Search This Blog

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Helicopter Parents

I heard a new term on the radio the other day - it was "helicopter parents".  As defined by wikipedia - Helicopter parent is a colloquial, early 21st-century term for a parent who pays extremely close attention to his or her child's or children's experiences and problems, particularly at educational institutions.  In other words, they aren't letting the child fight their own battles.  I can understand there are times when a parent must step in to defend their child, but the extreme stories that were being discussed made me cringe.

When I heard the description, it made me pause and reflect on how this could impact someone's job search.  I thought back to the episode of "Everybody loves Raymond" where Marie, the matriarch of the family, approached a potential employer that Robbie was scheduled to interview with and nearly lost Robbie the opportunity.  (Lucky Suit, Episode :138 | aired February 4, 2002).

Have you ever had someone think that they were helping you, yet because of their "hovering" they really hindered your job search progress?  If all else fails, make your plan, adjust as needed, and if you need help from someone, ask them specifically for what you need.

Do you have experience with a helicopter situation?