Helicopter Parenting

Of course, I would never do this but for the rest of you... :)
From the Wall Street Journal's blog, The Juggle raises a good question for competitive Long Islanders, among others:

Many parents I know don’t want to become a “helicopter parent,” who hovers over and advocates for his or her child on the playground, at school events, or even when the child starts business school, as we posted about here.

But if a parent wants to adapt a more hands-off approach to parenting, is he or she putting the child at a disadvantage in an increasingly competitive environment? Readers have pointed out how some homework assignments are so tough they practically require parental involvement, as does the challenging college application process....