Parents Involved in Lives of Today's College Students

A recent Chicago Sun-Times article examines the fact that today's parents seem to be more heavily involved in the lives of their college students than their counterparts had been in previous generations. Examples given in the article include parents calling college students each morning to make sure they wake up in time for classes, parents calling professors to debate grades, and parents calling college administrators to discuss residence hall policies. While college administrators are happy to see parents showing an interest in young adults, some are concerned that too much intervention from parents may delay students in developing skills such as time management and conflict resolution. Several factors, including the amount of money some parents are paying toward their child's education, are listed as possible reasons for the increase in parent involvement.

The article is available at the Chicago Sun-Times Web site.