Of Helen Keller and Helicopter Parenting

The movie that best illustrates today’s parenting expectations is “The Miracle Worker,” about Helen Keller. When Annie Sullivan is hired as governess, she gets feral Helen to eat off her own plate — a harrowing process. The parents are so thrilled, they are ready to let Annie go. She has done all they hoped for. Annie says no. This is only the beginning. The rest is history…and worth pondering. Not so great expectations. It feels like today’s parents have been trained to keep their expectations of their kids’ independence very, very low. A 2025 Institute for Family Studies survey of 24,000 Americans found the majority of parents of 14-year-olds won’t let them leave the block. Seeing kids age 5 — 9 — 14 do the most minor things on their own (walk the dog, scramble eggs) feels like a huge win. And it is. As was Helen eating off her own plate. But it is so much less than they COULD be doing if we let them. It’s like Gus the polar bear in Central Park: born for the ocean, reared in a…