BLOOMINGTON, Ind., Jan. 5 (UPI) -- Helicopter parents -- parents who hover over children even in college -- should cut the virtual umbilical cord of cell phones, a U.S. expert advises.
"It's not unusual for students to be calling and checking in with mom three or four times a day. They are calling parents to make decisions about dropping a class, making a purchase, dealing with any kind of setback," said Indiana University psychologist Chris Meno, who counsels over-parented students in much the same way she addresses addiction.
"Kids today are much more likely to say that their parent is their best friend, and it is good in a way that they have a close relationship, but this kind of dependency leads to a lack of confidence in being able to achieve things on their own."
When children aren't given the space to struggle through things on their own, they don't learn to problem-solve very well and they don't learn to be confident in their own abilities, and it can affect their self-esteem, according to Meno.
"The other problem with never having to struggle is that you never experience failure and can develop an overwhelming fear of failure and of disappointing others," she says. "Both the low self-confidence and the fear of failure can lead to depression or anxiety."
