there are times when i venture out and look to see what is going on in mainstream america- and i have to venture out because as much as i hate to admit it- i am not mainstream ;) my whole life has been spent on the outside looking in- and, while i used to resent it, these days, i am grateful. not too long ago, i posted a question at my blog on 'when is enough enough?'
i wanted some reactions other than mine because i had a couple of families in mind when i posed the question. anyhoo, i was doing the happy homemaker thing today and was standing in line at the grocery store- and i impulse bought a copy of the most recent family circle magazine. i admit i am a sucker for holiday baking and the gingerbread men on the front were irrisistable :) not only did i get holiday decorating tips from martha stewart- but i happened upon an article on helicoptor parents and what a problem it is for everyone else. the article says that a recent university of tex-ass study found that 40%-60% of parents helicoptor- even into the 4th year of college.
give me a freakin' break. my friends parents didn't helicoptor and mine didn't- who are these parents anyway? oh- right. my inlaws and one of my friends. trust me when i say that my sisters-in-law are younger than me but are nearer to 30 than the other side. really? yep. still getting bailed out when there is a financial shortfall. guess it wouldn't do for them to not be able to take the kids to an amusement park or whatnot.
my friend has one married daughter and two in college who live at home. as far as i can see, her younger sister who is married with a child gets the same treatment as the other 3- my friend bridging the gap and enabling immature behavior. when do we grow up? when do we have to sink or swim on our own? is it because our culture worships youth that we delay maturity for as long as possible?
all i know is- my friend schleps the girls to and from work and school- because they don't drive. i asked her why it was that they weren't 1) walking 2) getting a bus pass or 3) getting rides with friends. the colleges are both 10 minutes from their house. didn't get a good answer.
so- i guess i wonder where this is all going to lead. any ideas? because, apparently, i am still on the outside looking in...
