I agree that competitive college admissions are a driver of "helicopter parenting". However, from what I've seen, that behavior doesn't work nearly as well as y

I agree that competitive college admissions are a driver of "helicopter parenting". However, from what I've seen, that behavior doesn't work nearly as well as you imply. I'm lucky to have great parents. Not "helicopter" by any stretch. I was just a nerd in high school: I took nine APs, went to science fairs, did an engineering internship, & was on the math team. I never took test prep classes, took the SAT and ACT only once, and I wrote & edited the application by myself. It worked. I went to Stanford, class of 2012. What I did have were some really excellent HS teachers esp in STEM subjects & supportive parents who gave me a lot of freedom. I had some peers whose parents kept pushing them & who burned out. By contrast, I had fun & felt free both in high school and at Stanford. Aggressive parent involvement may help some people get into a good college, but it's certainly not necessary & is often harmful. Your last sentence is especially wrong. Micromanaging your near-adult children and refusing to "let them be human beings" is bad advice. Your children should be driven by their own ambition, not yours.