Heading off to college is a chance for not only students to grow, but for their parents to adapt to life changes as well. But in some cases, the parents may not have such an easy time letting go.
So has been the case with one college student that made national news recently.
A 21-year-old music student at the University of Cincinnati's College-Conservatory of Music recently convinced a judge to grant her a restraining order against her parents, according to The Huffington Post.
The student, Aubrey Ireland, reportedly told the court that even though she had made the dean's list, her parents would still drive 600 miles from Kansas to Ohio, making unannounced visits to her school, accusing her of drug use, promiscuity and mental illness.
The issue deepened when her parents installed key-logging software on her computer and cell phone, allowing them to track her every move.
As a result, the court and the school sided with Ireland; the university has granted her a full scholarship for her senior year, while the judge issued a civil stalking order against her parents, thus ordering them to stay at least 500 feet away from their daughter and have no contact with her until September 2013.
The news raises the issue of how much parents should "let go" of their children when they head off to college.
But what do you think? Did her parents go too far? Or were they justified in trying to keep a close eye on their daughter? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.
Lemonjello
11:37 am on Thursday, January 10, 2013
Man, I would be in TROUBLE if when I wnet to school my parents had this technology. Let me tell you! drug use, promiscuity . . . sign me up. Just kidding mom and dad! No but seriously parents need to recognize that College is a time to grow. Parents can do pull this type of stiuff all day long when kids in high school no doubt. I am search engining this now fo my kids fo sure. Momma's watching.
marcuswelby
11:47 am on Thursday, January 10, 2013
If I interpret Lemonjello's comments clearly, I tend to agree with the fact that parents do need to let their college aged children spread their wings, but I suspect, and I could be wrong, that there are 2 sides to every story. The key thing is communication. Somewhere in this family's life communication broke down and it lead to this. It's too bad the nation's family unit has crumbled to what it is today. Did her parents go to far? I don't know the answer. I do know that there is value in having a strong family unit and I firmly believe it starts at the dinner table. Families that eat together don't have stalking orders filed by courts.
SKK
2:14 pm on Thursday, January 10, 2013
NO. Parents should not track the kids. The parents in the article have huge trust issues. The student is 18 or older and not a middle schooler. Also, She is on the deans list so obviously doing a good job. College is a time to enjoy and discover things about yourself before you are thrown into the real world. It is a shame these parents are ruining their childs experience.
NatickMomOf2
9:28 pm on Thursday, January 10, 2013
Everyone is coming down hard on the parents without understanding the real deal. What I've read is this girl was promiscuous and had mental illness. Any CONCERNED parent would go out of their way, regardless of mileage to check on their loved ones. C'mon people go easy on the parents.