Some parents need to chill the heck out. These obsessed helicopter moms and dads took “over-protective” way over the line.
1. Your Help Is Unhelpful
My college roommate was born deaf, his mom never allowed him to learn sign language because she would “always be there to protect him” and “he needs to live a normal life, not a deaf life” (her words, not mine).
He was pretty good at lip reading, and could vocalize remarkably well given how profound his hearing loss was. But when he left for school, she went off the deep end.
His mom pulled me aside and very seriously asked me to inform her any time he talked to a girl, as she said he has “problems” with girls trying to take advantage of him. She also insisted he say good night to her every night, which meant he had to be on instant messenger (deaf, so he couldn’t call without using a specialized typing phone) with her for at least an hour every night or else she’d call our room phone in a panic looking for him.
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