The generation of children who were raised by helicopter parents are starting to enter the workforce.
These are the children who weren't allowed to play in the dirt or the rain or walk around the corner to a friends' house, whose parents called the teacher about every incident during the day.
These are the children of parents who gave their children all the electronics and money they could while never teaching the value of "no" or "time" as they truly thought they were doing what the best for their children.
These helicopter parents have officially raised children that cannot take flight in the workforce.
According to a recent study by the University of Houston, millennials are now the most protected and programmed generation in history, and it is affecting not just in the workplace but also in the recruitment process.
"Careful" is a helicopter parent's mantra. These kids have grown up in the shadows of fear, always too afraid to take risks, too cautious to make sound decisions alone and too callous to stand up for themselves as they have never had to. In their childhood their parents made all their decisions and as young adults they have no clue how to fend for themselves.
Michigan State University surveyed more than 700 employers seeking to hire recent college graduates. Nearly one-third said parents had submitted resumes on their child's behalf. One-quarter reported hearing from parents urging the employer to hire their son or daughter for a position. Four percent of respondents reported that a parent actually showed up for the candidate's job interview.
This hyper parenting has impacted this young generation for the worse.
Here are impacts on how helicopter parents have sabotaged their kids' future:
No Decision Making Power: It is one thing to turn to parents when one needs a mentor, some advice, or to act as a sounding board when examining different options; it is another to turn to parents for definitive answers. The lack of ability to make decisions is a downward spiral for a child.
No Self-Esteem: Without the ability to make decisions, a person embodies extremely low self-esteem, as they do not have true confidence in their abilities. The helicopter child does believe they will be successful, live the dream life with 8 weeks of vacation and a 7 figure income -- but how they will get there is a complete cloud and in reality it is just an illusion.
Terrible Leadership Skills: The helicopter child makes a terrible leader. Mom and dad do not work with them so if they can't decide how to move from point A to Z alone they certainly can't bring anyone with them.
Disappeared At Every Problem: These "children" never grow up. They do not know how to face problems. At the drop of a boyfriend or girlfriend they are taking "sick days" from work. This was NEVER seen in generations prior. You work until you are exhausted and even when you think you are too tired to move, you still find a way to complete the tasks at hand. Work was a means to make your life better, it was not an option where the employer works around your schedule!
Lowest Earning Potential: Lower self-esteem can lead to depression, depression leads to less work days, less work days leads to remaining at the same type of job for an infinite period of time, which means the 7 figure income they are dreaming about will never become a reality as they will never put in the hours to complete the tasks at hand
No one is Peter Pan, so instead of hovering over children, let them breathe and make decisions. There is absolutely no reason why a recruiter or hiring manager needs to get a call from a parent regarding a job application, interview or sick day. This is not helping, but rather hindering any progress to allow a child to actually fly.
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