Connecting, College and Communication

Are you an iConnected Parent?

We had a facinating conversation with Dr. Barbara Hofer, author of the book "THE iCONNECTED PARENT: STAYING CLOSE TO YOUR KIDS IN COLLEGE (AND BEYOND) WHILE LETTING THEM GROW UP". Dr. Hofer, a Middlebury College psychology professor and Abigail Sullivan Moore, a journalist who has reported on college and highs school trends have written a very compelling account of this new parenting phenomenon.

What is an iConnected parent? It is someone who is deeply involved in their children's lives, even as they approach adulthood, by utelizing the technology of instant communication. (cell phones, text messaging, email, facebook, etc).

I was amazed at some of the finding from the study. Most students connected with their parents in some way, at least 2 times per day. AND they were satisfied with the amount of contact and involvement that their parents were giving. Dr. Hofer documents parents who edit their children's papers, help in the selection of classes, and who call the dean or professor when their child recieves a poor grade! Some parents go so far as to accompany their children to job interviews for internships and full time positions once they have graduated! (I cannot imagine my children needing that much contact from me. As they each left for college, they knew I was always only a phone call away, but they also realized that it was their time to make decisions and choices because I was not "going to college" with them.
Because we are so connected with cell phones, and other ways of instant communication, children tend to rely more heavily on their parents today than in previous times. This book is a MUST READ for every parent of a college bound student because it offers sound advice when considering appropriate boundaries for the amount of involvement parents should take.