TheOtherView
Opinions from around the country

Students communicate with parents more now
Time was, parents deposited an incoming college freshman, along with stereo and other critical worldly goods, into a dorm room, and after a tearful hug or two, that was that.

Many of today’s college kids, however, apparently are breaking that long-standing tradition. Wielding cell phone and e-mail with reckless abandon, they bombard their parents with calls and letters almost hourly, asking advice, keeping in touch, discussing all manner of academic and personal matters, according to anecdotal evidence and a story in The New York Times. ...

Hmmm. Much as we endorse family values and a close parent-child relationship, we can’t help but wonder if some kids aren’t being cheated of one of life’s great experiences.

This is an excerpt from a staff editorial in the Chicago Tribune. It was distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service.