Most recently, it's very common in students who need a parent present for job interviews. Naturally, it's easy to blame the students in these situations, but the bigger problem is us. We--as parents--are so eager to shelter our kids that we fail to realize that this in itself is harming them.As the mother of two young sons, I have to remind myself constantly that the biggest responsibility I have as a parent is to help them develop the skills needed to live in, to live without me.So, I'll let them fail. I'll let them fail because as long as they are safe and warm inside their comfort zones, they will never grow.And failure -- along with loss, heartbreak, disappointment, etc.-- will be part of growth for them.Call me the anti-tiger mom, but leaving them alone, is my way of helping them become equipped to fit in this world as we know it today.From terrorism and seemingly endless natural disasters, to our national debt and beyond, if we expect the next generation to stand up to the very real problems of our time, we need to stop feeding them and start teaching them how to fish. My children now are becoming little masters of compromise, but they try to negotiate   everything now.It's a small price to help them learn a skill they'll use for the rest of their lives, including when I don't accompany them on job interviews. Why do parents accompany their kids on job interviews?
Because they want to protect their kids from difficulties. Because they think they can help them on the questions. Because their kids are too shy to attend interviews. Because their kids strongly request them to do so.