Recent studies are showing that no matter how old children are, many parents are finding it difficult to let go. With this "hovering" behavior, students are also finding it difficult to make decisions on their own.
    Deborah Murphy, graduate student in counseling and student development, completed a study with Mark Barnett, psychology professor, that found a direct relationship between parents' over-involvement and students who are planning to return home after completing college.
    "The literature suggests that it is because they do not have the self-esteem to be able to do it on their own," Murphy said. "They have relied on their parents all this time, and they are not confident enough on their own to tackle large — and sometimes small — tasks."
    Many students are getting to college and are unable to fend for themselves. Some of these students were coddled and protected as children to the point of threatening their ability to go out on their own and form healthy relationships and proper job skills later in life.
    "Sometimes I call my mom more than once a day. I don't call them because I have to, but because I think having a good relationship with my parents is important as I continue to grow up and away from them in some aspects," said Elisa Winchell, sophomore in animal science.
    Anthony Balderrama, writer for CareerBuilder.com, said parents have been butting into the workplace lately. Some go so far as to make employment decisions for their children.
    Parents have been known to write their children's résumés, acting as their children's "representatives" and even calling employers to see why their children didn't get specific jobs, Balderrama stated.
    The cell phone often has been attributed to the rise of the helicopter parent. Despite their children living outside the home and hundreds of miles away, parents can reach them at any time, either by calling or texting.
    This allows parents to keep up-to-date on occurrences in their children's lives and to dictate how they live them. Students are also guilty of calling their parents at any time during the day.
    "Based on recent literature, parents are afraid their children will not be successful without their help," Murphy said. "They are doing it out of love and care, but it unfortunately backfires when their children become dependent upon their help. The students are not learning valuable lessons by having to rely on their own strengths."
    While most of the blame is being put on parents who just can't seem to let go, many students are also not ready to let go of their parents. Some feel the decisions they make might disappoint their parents, so they choose to get their parents' opinions first.
    Many students seem to enjoy and appreciate the help from their parents, Murphy said.
    "I ask my parents for their opinions a lot because most of the time they have good opinions," said Andy Stueve, sophomore in secondary education, "and really, they are the people that know me the most and have an idea of what I want to do with my life, but they do let me make my own decisions."