BISHOPS: THE CHURCH'S CHILDREN OF HELICOPTER PARENTING

Helicopter parenting.

It is a style of parenting characterized by a tendency to hover over children and swoop in to rescue them at the first sign of trouble.

The idea exploded into mainstream consciousness in the early 2000s, just as the oldest Millennials were entering young adulthood. 

Given its recent manifestations, there is scant research but the studies which do exist reveal that it is widespread in the US and growing in frequency each year. 

In one national survey of college students, 38 % of freshmen and 29% of seniors said their parents intervened on their behalf to solve problems either “very often” or “sometimes.” 

Even more telling, a 2013 Pew Research Survey found that 73% of adults in their 40s and 50s had given adult children financial help in the past year, and not all of it was for college tuition. 

One story reported that parents of a 35 year old child, living at home, were still giving him a weekly allowance!

It appears that there is one common trait among helicopter parents: they’re often from the highly educated middle class or wealthier, with social and financial resources to share with adult children.

While most parents start scaling back their involvement when children head to college, helicopter parents ramp up support. 

Among some of the worst examples of helicopter parenting include parents attending their adult children’s job interviews, or even calling college professors to argue over a grade.

The result:  their children emerge from childhood without basic survival skills of personal responsibility or accountability.  Most can't even fend for themselves.  Few know how to cook, clean or even do their own laundry. 

I often wonder how similar Bishops are to the children of helicopter parents.  For the past 500 years, Bishops have been formed in the helicopter-style governance of the Vatican and the Roman Curia.  

Little wonder then that Bishops have been stunted by Rome’s over-protectiveness or even the Holy See’s adamant refusal to let them minister on their own. 

Along comes Pope Francis and challenges these Bishops:  you don’t have to wait for the Church to change, before you yourselves do. 

In fact, laying all the blame on the Roman Curia, without accepting some personal responsibility, has robbed the Bishops of the authority and ability to provide for the souls entrusted to their pastoral care.

It is time to break this destructive pattern and to wake up with insight into how terribly dysfunctional and misguided the failed strategies of Church governance of the past have been.

Pope Francis is calling upon the Bishops to cut the umbilical cord with Rome which for far too long has prevented them from fulfilling their Apostolic ministries.

Whether or not the Holy Father will be successful remains to be seen!