Comments on: Generation Y Will Be The Helicopter Parents From Hell

By: Cassandra Jowett

Cassandra Jowett — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 06:05:40 +0000

I always feel so non-Gen Y in this way because since my mom passed away almost five years ago, I’m the one who has to constantly track down my parent and let him know what’s going on in my life and in his. My dad is a Boomer workaholic and the least communicative person in the world.

I don’t relate to the Helicopter Parent experience at all except that I find myself being one to my younger brother at times, and it was especially true when I still lived at home. I know my (hypothetical) kids are going to have it rough.

By: Brandon Carlos

Brandon Carlos — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 20:49:28 +0000

My colleague at Juice Inc., Brady Wilson, tells me that because of their parents behavious, unlike any other Generation, Gen Y employees respond best to an authority figure with which they have a relationship similar to that of a child and its parent. This is where the emerging notion of love in the workplace is sparked.

On another note, David, Ryan Paugh of Brazen Careerist forwarded me your contact in regards to getting a BC meeting organized in Toronto. I’m in Guelph and would love to meet with my fellow BCists sometime this fall. You can reach me at bcarlos@juiceinc.ca or through my blog at http://www.prninja.wordpress.com

By: David Fallarme

David Fallarme — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 13:16:48 +0000

Loved those links Tom. Anything from Strauss/Howe is always a great read.

@stetoscope — there is absolutely no way that Gen Z will live without technology to communicate with each other. That’s like asking Generation Y to live without TV.

By: stetoscope

stetoscope — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 10:30:02 +0000

Do predict that genZ will live without any communication technology or would not be free?

By: Tom Heck

Tom Heck — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 13:33:10 +0000

Your assumptions are off. Generations don’t follow lock-step in the footsteps of the generations that precede them. Take a look at the G.I. generation and their prodigy the Boomers. Everyone thought Boomers would turn out to be like their parents (the G.I. generation) only MORE. That didn’t happen though. Can you stay “Woodstock”? Free love, long hair, hippies, don’t trust the establishment, etc. Not at all like the G.I. generation. Generational historians like Neil Howe and William Strauss (authors of “The Fourth Turning”) will tell you generations move in cycles (or “seasons”). Gen-Y will not parent like the generation that raised them (Boomers). We’re already starting to see a backlash – - just take a look at the article in the NY Times “Free Range Kids” which hit such a nerve that it turned into a website: http://freerangekids.wordpress.com/
I predict the pendulum will begin swinging in the other direction and when Gen-Y starts to have kids they’ll look for ways to give them more and more space – - they will recognize the problem of “helicopter parents” and rebel. History is not linear. History moves in cycles. Listen to this audio interview with Neil Howe to learn more about how history moves in cycles and you’ll get it:
http://tomheck.blogs.com/teachmeteamwork/2005/06/the_fourth_turn.html

By: Sherry Baker

Sherry Baker — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 22:19:50 +0000

As a Boomer (a really YOUNG Boomer!) and being the middle of the sandwich between my mid-70’s parents and my tween-age niece and nephew, I can say this tracking has already started. Granted, my parents don’t always keep their cell phones with them around the house, they check them regularly to see if they’ve received a txt from me, the grands, or their friends. I just txt’ed my 74yo mother that she’s in the zone of a severe thunderstorm watch, and she txt’ed me back that my 12yo niece had just sent her the the same msg and told her to get out the flashlights and candles. We’re all very connected already. I don’t really see a downside, except from the author’s last point: there is Nowhere to Hide!