Over-protective parents

[faceless]

Chinese university sets up dormitory for overprotective parents
A university in China has become so overrun by overprotective parents wanting to sleep in their children's rooms that it has had to turn its sports hall into a massive dormitory.

It's become common at the start of each university year in China for parents to accompany their children - and, with many families only having one child thanks to China's population control policies - the overprotective parents often stay for days or weeks in an attempt to make sure they settle in properly. But the the University in Wuhan, in Hubei province, now has so many anxious parents hanging around that university authorities have been forced to convert their sports hall to allow them to sleep on the floor.

A university spokesman said: 'They often can't accept that their children have now left home and come to university. Sometimes they move to the local area for months offering to cook and clean for their children - and keep an eye on them. We decided to act after finding some of the parents arranged to sleep in their children's dormitory with them, which of course is unacceptable. We now give them a blanket and a place to wash and eat free of charge.'

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Bloody hell, I'd have had years of torment if my parents had even taken me to the first days of secondary school!

[Ash]

Odd, but nice... I can see where they're coming from because my parents are always worried about me. After reading this I'm missing them even more now.

[Skylace]

There is something similar going on in the States. Helicopter parents are becoming even worse. What universities are doing here now is making the parents leave after the student is settled into the dorm, then having seminars set up for the parents to attend on coping with these stresses and then in the evening having a dinner with the students and parents and having them leave campus. It seems to be helping.

[SpursFan1902]

I am afraid for the upcoming generations. They are never going to learn how to cope with things on their own. It is not like the parents have fallen off the face of the earth. They are always just a call or email away. I understand parting is hard for both sides (with my family moving to Germany, I understand it all too well), but kids have to learn how to resolve issues with roommates, find classes and budget time and money in order to become successful adults. It is all a learning experience and if the parents continue to do it for them, students will never learn.

[Skylace]

I totally agree Spurs. What's even more amazing to me is how long we are stretching out growing up. I've recently started teaching Human Growth and Development and I have to do a section on "the Emerging Adult" (a classification that didn't exist when I got my degree). Basically it's about 20 somethings trying to find themselves in the adult world. And recent studies show they are now trying to classify those of us who are in our thirties but not quite forty and are going through "adult transitions". While I am a firm believer that growth and development continues through all stages of life, seriously, we have to GROW-up sometime and DEVELOP our own lives!

[SquareEyes]

We moved to Austria recently (new job) and had to leave the kids behind to finish their last year in high school in Italy. I'm renting an apartment for them over there. We miss them to bits, but I agree that it's probably for the best in the long-run. After all, we can still chat on video and we don't have to pick up any more crispy socks and undies.

[SpursFan1902]

And the last year in high school is just a little different than the first year of college. You expect to start doing for yourself in your first year of college...laundry and such, but in high school, they still would still normally be at home. That was a tough decision I bet SquareEyes. I was in boarding school my junior year of HS (I was in Arizona and my parents were in Saudi Arabia - and no video! We bearly had phone contact in the late 70's) and it taught me alot, but as a normal teenager, I probably wouldn't have gotten those lessons so early. The separation was hard, but we got thru it. Wow, I should take my own advice here....

[eefanincan]

[Skylace]

It is tough for sure Square and you will miss them, but we have to do what we have to do sometimes, even when it's so tough. And technology helps so much now!

You're killing me Spurs! But you're right it would have taught you a lot!

That's the truth eefan! They even have that stupid "tweens" term now!