Some parents probably do too much – whilst wanting the best for their child they are perhaps getting in the way of their child taking personal responsiblity. They are called helicopter parents and a quick search on google shows 334,000 links …
I’m not talking about young children, but those of adult age, whose parents attend career fairs with them, contanct career counsellors and will be contacting companies on their behalf.
When my age group (the baby boomers) were young we were just left to get on with it, and the next generation (generation X) from the 60s to the early 80s would be appalled by this level of involvement. Parents of adult children now want to help as much as they can, and this is accepted. For example UCAS allow parents to find out about applications but should we not be motivating our young adults to do this for themselves?
Recently I’ve had a number of parents contact me to discuss careers coaching for their children – recently graduated not sure what they need to do and needing help.
When I talk to the recent graduate it is pretty clear that it’s not their idea and they don’t come across to me as someone who wants to work on their career future at this time.
I’ve now decided to talk with parents, explain about my work and then suggest they direct their child to my web site and that their child contacts me direct.
Like everything we find the right time for us to work on something and for many this could be late twenty’s or even later.
