Helicopter Parents and Homecoming

We've read stories about the dynamic that today's kids have with their parents - bringing parents to interviews, kids living at home well into their late 20's or early 30's, having parents negotiate job offers, etc.  Personally, I've not seen any first hand example of this, until last night.

We went up to the golf club to enjoy a quick dinner and to watch the Irish game.  We found the place absolutely packed as it was homecoming night, and kids were out on dates for their pre-dance meals.

We found our way to a booth in the bar (the last table in the joint), and the bar area was just as packed - well beyond normal.  I wondered if it was that way because of all of the kids in the dining area, and went about concentrating on the game on the TV.

That's when I overheard one of the men in the bar say to the group, "I'll go get the kids moving - the dance started at 7:30."

The bar was filled with the parents of the kids in the restaurant.  Nearly three dozen of them.

The kids all came into the bar to say good-bye and head off to the dance.  And the parents fawned, and snapped last minute pictures.  Then the kids left, and the parents (also dressed nicely) left shortly thereafter.

I've never seen anything like it before in my life.  I asked our waitress (maybe 25 years old) if this was just a Wisconsin thing, and she was equally confused and mortified by the situation.

What's the next step, attending the dance itself?  Riding in the back seat on the way home?  Yuck.

If these are going to be tomorrow's leaders, I think we're in a world of hurt.