Posted: 5/16/2007 10:47:20 AM EDT
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I work part time at a restaurant in the northern Tampa Bay area. The phone rang and I naturally answered it. It was a parent checking up to see if their kid was ready to be hired and if they can come down to discuss it. I asked if her son submitted his application and she said yes. At this point, I presumed her son was still in high school or something. I then asked if he stopped by or called for a follow up. She said she was following up.  I placed her on hold and grabbed the manager. After a few minutes on the phone, my manager took the application and tossed it. The guy that applied was 28yrs old! I couldn't believe the parent was following up on her son's application. I asked if he was a 'special case' (i.e. handicap or something, thinking what reason the parent of a 28yr old would call)... she said no, he was perfectly healthy, mentally and physically. If I had to guess, I'd blame his mom for the reason why he couldn't get a job. His son was old enough to do this on is own.  -------------------------------------------------- Any employers have something similar on this? |
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I knew a guy who managed a fast food place. If somebody asked to borrow a pen when they got an application from him he would lend them a pen, then after they finished the application he'd tell them he'd let them know if he had anything. When the applicant walked out he'd toss the app. The way he looked at it, the person knew they'd be filling out a form, yet didn't even prepare by doing something as simple as sticking a pen in their pocket. That did n't make the person look good. I guess that process was a pre-interview screening. |
| Its actually a very common practice and for some inexplicable reason is becoming socially acceptable. Many large comapneies cater to helicopter parents. Many colleges also cater to helicopter parents. It's ridiculous and there's no excuse for it. When I first saw an article on it I emailed it to my mom and thanked her for not being that way. She always there for advice, but I know I need to do it all on my own in the end. |
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Some of you guys know that one of the things I do is a City Prosecutor job for the town I live in. Two months ago, a woman got a speeding ticket doing 30mph in a 15mph school zone. No problem, its a $75 fine plus court costs, if you hire a lawyer I'll amend it for you so your insurance won't go up. Totally normal, I do piles of these every month. Well, this woman was calling the courthouse twice a week for more than a month, freaking out about this speeding ticket. She gets my cell phone number and calls me and I reassure her that everything is going to be ok, that its totally normal. She's crying and freaking out, and I'm saying "look you were only doing 30mph, I do the same thing sometimes, it can happen to anyone, it doesn't mean you're a bad person..." So she shows up to court and this woman looks like Bea Arthur. She's at least 60 years old, white hair up in a loose bun, very old horn-rimmed glasses, and a flowered print dress right out of Beaver-Cleaver-ville. We go up in front of the judge, the judge asks her "how do you plead" and she starts bawling again as she pleads guilty. The judge gives me this "WTF?" look, and asks her why she's so emotional and if there's anything wrong, and she replies, "I'm just afraid of what my MOTHER is going to think when she finds out about all this..." My jaw literally dropped. I just couldn't believe it. It's definitely one of the strangest remarks I've ever heard in open court coming out the mouth a woman old enough to by MY mother. |
I used to do the same thing. |
They hover over you and protect you from anything that may harm you. There are several different styles of parenting under various names, like helicopter, drill sergeant, etc |
They swoop down like a helicopter to rescue their children. ETA> Holy Moses! Sounds like some personal experience with the pheonomena going on here 
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en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helicopter_parent www.collegeboard.com/parents/plan/getting-ready/50129.html First time I heard that term used. It fits perfectly. It will definitely become part of my work-related vocabulary. |