@ Rebecca – Thanks for the inspiration for the post! It’s a great conversation, and one I think our generation needs to be more engaged in.

@ Penelope – Very interesting blog concept. I wish there were more parents like you out there participating in this conversation! Sometimes it’s so difficult for us to just broach this subject with our own parents, but we can learn so much from the parents of others! I think you’re right that it’s hard for parents to know how much to let go; I also think that it’s hard for young adults to realize that sometimes they need to take the lead and strike that conversation with their own parents – because that perhaps more than anything else will demonstrate to loving, giving, caring parents that you have, indeed, grown up enough that you will be alright on your own.

@ Mark – I think it truly depends on the individual whether or not helicopter parents are good for a person’s career or not – because it all depends on how you as a professional and individual use their hovering. I’m not by any means saying having unspupportive parents is the answer! I think so much of who Gen Y is is about having parents who were devoted to us and provided us with unparalleled opportunity.

Parental involvement is one thing, but kids who can’t fend for themselves and need to send daddy to the Board Room for then is another. Regardless of how companies see it – the real issue is personal development and the ability to function like an adult.

For example, I love my parents, and they support me fully in my career, but I sure didn’t get my recent promotion because daddy was disappointed I didn’t get a raise after my first review!

However, I really am starting to think that parental involvement in a child’s job search may not be as much of a problem as one might thinks. I think that since most hiring managers these days are in the Boom generation, and they might be helicopter parents themselves, there may not be too much of a problem. Companies like Enterprise, for instance, encourage parental participation in the hiring process. I don’t have any “raw numbers” that show if some parental support might not be a turn-off, but the results may be surprising. And I suspect that as Gen ‘Y’ continues to make waves in the workforce, the stigma will lessen in many circles. The question is whether in other circles (like Gen ‘X’ hiring managers who might resent this involvement), backlash will increase.