"Can My Mom Sit In?" What One Researcher Says Every Advisor Should Know

Parents are playing a larger role in the college experience than ever before. They're helping students navigate systems, choose majors, and sometimes even register them for classes using their login information. For advisors, this raises an important question: Where should we draw the line?

An insightful article by Alan Reynolds, published in The Mentor, explores this very issue. Rather than focusing only on FERPA or the logistics of working with parents, Reynolds asks a more fundamental question: What level of parental involvement best supports student development?

The article argues that academic advising should ultimately serve the interests of the student. Drawing from developmental theory, Reynolds reminds us that advising is about much more than selecting courses or explaining policies. At its best, advising helps students build confidence, strengthen decision-making skills, solve problems independently, and develop the ability to navigate life beyond graduation.

The article acknowledges that parents can play a positive role.

However, continued parental participation can unintentionally interfere with one of advising's primary goals: supporting students to become independent, self-advocating adults. When parents regularly attend appointments, answer questions on behalf of students, or become the primary voice in advising conversations, students may lose valuable opportunities to build confidence and exercise their own decision-making skills. [Additional Reading: Are We Preparing the Next Generation of Student Affairs Leaders?]

If you've ever wondered where supportive involvement ends and overinvolvement begins, this article is well worth your time.

🔗 Read the full article: "Can My Mom Sit In? Defining the Proper Scope of Parental Involvement in Academic Advising" by Reynolds.