Helicopter Parents in the Workforce

[Guest]

I won't give my MIL my husband's work number for a reason. Not that she's a helicopter parent, just that she thinks she has the right to call him at any time for anything. He's not getting paid to troubleshoot her computer every other day.

I don't call my husband on his work number at all unless the house is on fire or something...

I call his cell phone if there's something I need that can't wait. Otherwise, we send text messages to communicate.

I work from home, so I have more freedom with calls. But even then, my husband uses the same "protocol" when calling me at work, er, at home... ack, you know what I mean...

[Backroads]

He was telling me once day, he was on the job as a roofer and his mom would not stop calling him once a day. Boss finally had it and fired him.

Poor guy. Wonder what his mom thought of that.

[dash77]

I've found that part of my brain development is to trust the spell-check feature when I fat-finger the keyboard. Correcting mistakes when either man or machine points them out to me.

Sorry John Doe. Sometimes I'm too rushed to even re-read the post I submit.

Edited March 17, 2012 by john doe
fixed spelling

[dash77]

What happened to the John Doe part of my last reply???? Is someone now editing my spelling???

Edited March 18, 2012 by john doe
fixed spelling

[NadiaStar]

I guess I agree with dash a little bit on this. Just because the kid is legally adult does not mean he acts or thinks like an adult. Is it fair someone loses out in the workforce because he was expected to be more than he could do? I agree someone should not attempt to do a job they can't do, but if a parent could give a little boost... I guess I'm not sure where the line would be drawn. With my adult kids, I kind of wish I could attend them on a job interview in order to help them to know to say (assuming I trusted they could do the job), though I do see the point of view of employers.

[Dravin]

Is it fair someone loses out in the workforce because he was expected to be more than he could do?

The alternative is employers being forced to hire people incapable of meeting their job requirements.

[NadiaStar]

The alternative is employers being forced to hire people incapable of meeting their job requirements.

Which I get, but it's hard when kids don't get a chance to learn how to do the job. If a parent could give advice, what's the harm in that?

[Vort]

Which I get, but it's hard when kids don't get a chance to learn how to do the job. If a parent could give advice, what's the harm in that?

No harm. Indeed, that's how it should work.

But when the parent is calling the employer, that's definitely well beyond the bounds of propriety. Adults must be allowed to function as adults. "Helicopter parenting" an adult is a disservice to the adult and to society in general.

The exception is when the adult needs that sort of parenting. But in such a case, the adult is not functionally an adult, as in the case of many autistics. That is a different matter altogether.