If I were the type of person to have a “Hero” tag with an American flag behind it, I’d be using it for this post. Colgate College has decided that hovering parents have gotten out of hand and that they’re undermining important lessons learned outside of the classroom.
… at freshman orientation here last week, parents heard a different message: Colgate is making educating students a higher priority than customer service. The liberal arts college of 2,750 students has concluded helicopter parenting has gotten out of hand, undermining the out-of-the-classroom lessons on problem-solving, seeking help and compromise that should be part of a college education.
I’ve said many times that I learned just as much, if not more, about life outside of the lecture hall than I did inside it. You learn to multi-task. You learn to be accountable without your parents holding your hand. You learn that red gym shorts and white socks don’t mix. You learn that hangovers suck. You learn that slushies at 4AM from 7-11 can sometimes fix even the worst problems. Most importantly, I learned two things with regards to my parents and life in general.
- I could, afterall, survive without them on my own two feet without getting killed.
- Begrudgingly, I learned they did know quite a lot about life and they did a great job preparing me for the rigors of daily life.
As Denis Leary puts it, “Life sucks, get a fucking helmet, okay?”