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I will relate a story about a TRUE helicopter mom I know, and the repercussions of her meddling.
This mom has a daughter who is beautiful, intelligent, talented athletically, the whole shebang! This mother rode that poor girl unmercifully all of her young life.
Despite NEVER making a B (she graduated with my son as one of the Vals), despite being recruited by a Big 12 school in her sport and getting a FULL athletic scholarship, despite being a leader at school and in the community, the poor girl could never measure up to her mother's expectations.
Couple that with the fact that this mom is known in the community for meddling at school - if the daughter got a reputed less than stellar teacher, she was up at the school requesting a change - and somehow, even though it is against school policy, she got it; if the girl got a bad grade, she was up there threatening the teacher (in middle school, she showed up at the HOME of one of the teachers!!); she was OVER involved with the sports teams that her daughter was on, clearly living out her fantasies through the daughter. OKAY - this is clearly a helicopter mom!
So, this daughter goes off to college - 1st time out of the blinding spotlight put on her by her mom. She is under tremendous pressure with her sport, she is having to deal with classes and practices and travel with the team, and all without the constant overbearing "guidance" of her mom.
What happens? She totally burns out... After the first semester, she decides she's had enough and quits school, comes home, but doesn't live with her parents, she stays with a relative. She has transferred to another college, quit playing her sport (which is truly a shame because she was a phenom), and is moving on with her life in different circumstances.
That is the definition of a helicopter mom gone wild, and the subsequent fallout of said behavior.
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