Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's funny, my parents didn't care at all about my living experience, where I slept, if I had food to eat or enough money for necessities. I look back on it and it's hard to comprehend, because they were generally very good parents and are nurturing people and not remotely poor. I would be mortified if my kids lived the way I lived in college. So I believe there is a middle ground.

Yes college is like high school used to be. High school is like middle school. Middle school is elementary

The children aren’t ready for any independence until after grad school and 2 years living at home.

I studied abroad in China at a major Chinese university in the late 2000s. What struck me the most was that the Chinese college students were having the same experiences I had in my American high school (first kiss, first GF/BF, drinking for the first time, staying out late, etc.)

It seems like Americans kids are having a similar regression. Everything we Millennials did in HS are now being done by American kids when they get to college.

I was a total latchkey kid starting in 6th grade, riding my bike home and starting homework until my parents got home from work at 530pm. Kids don't have the same independence today and the same was true of Chinese college students at an elite university (they were constantly monitored by parents to study). These leads to parents helicoptering even in college. They are basically acting in a similar way as my parents when I was in HS.

Anonymous wrote:This seems to be more of an SEC football thing than a helicopter thing.

+1 Big football schools have a culture like this. It has little to do with seeing your kids and everything to do with having a place to stay for football weekends.

Anonymous wrote:Yeah... you know what?
I'm a little tired of people criticizing helicopter parents.

We all do what we think is best for our families. I don't think being close-knit and seeking family togetherness is inherently bad, quite the contrary. I speak as a member of an international family whose relatives are scattered all over the world.

If I thought doing something "non-traditional" for my family was helpful, or if it made me very happy and I could afford it... heck yes, I'd do it!

This. I would have liked if my parents helicoptered me more. They were basically drop me off and that is it so visiting and going to games and renting a nice place sounds pretty good to me.

Anonymous wrote:This seems to be more of an SEC football thing than a helicopter thing.

+1

I could totally see an apartment being an investment. My DD goes to CU Boulder and hotels are ridiculously expensive. She lives in an apartment that is also expensive. If I had any disposable income, I would definitely buy a house or apartment, let my DD live in it after freshman year, and then rent it out when she is no longer in college.

I’m younger GenX and my parents had season football tickets to my ACC school. As did my girlfriends (now wife’s) parents. I loved it. My future FIL threw a huge tailgate party with some of his friends. My friends would stop by before the game as well.

Parents didn’t buy a condo though - they stayed in hotels for the six home games. Sometimes we would also meet up for Sunday brunch and other times not.

It's fairly common these days. I've seen kids attending our private school from OOS. The parents just bought a condo in the city with one of the parents travelling back and forth all the time, and another staying with the kid for the high school. College is the same. Buy a condo, so that family can stay together for the weekend. The kids move in the condo in sophomore year. All works out pretty well.

Every family has their own dynamic. Nobody should be telling someone else what they should or shouldn’t be doing. If you are offended that Kathy is visiting her son too much, then you might need to ask yourself why that actually bothers you?

I think it’s great parents want to remain vlose with their kids and critics should MYOB.

My kid goes to Miami and I am thisclose to buying down there because I love it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t think SEC football parent types are necessarily the same as helicopter parents. They’re more like a tailgate with the kids type.

Probably less peanut allergies or mold -phobia

Football is just different for some folks. Probably not for the typical DCUM type.