Parents: They always have your best interests in mind-some so much that they're sure to remind you of this fact several times a day. But as we grow older, we're supposed to be afforded more freedom. While this critical age of independence has long been questioned, and seems to be becoming older and older, there are well-recognized times when teens receive more privileges. We see 18, for example, as the universal age when teenagers attain adulthood. For many Americans, this time signals the beginning of college and the end of living at home, and all the benefits and pitfalls that go with them.

While this age of adulthood has stayed relatively constant by custom, parents increasingly encroach on their children's freedom. This problem has not gone unnoticed by national media: Articles are penned regularly detailing how parents reach beyond previously accepted limits, to the point where they now sometimes write college application essays, keep extremely close tabs on their children's goings on at school and even nose in on the job-seeking process. According to CNN.com, some parents even contact universities in hopes of seeing their children's report cards.

This trend is certainly present at Brandeis. I spoke with one first-year student, the first of her family to go to college, who said she talks with both of her parents daily, and they constantly inquire about her schoolwork and other activities, even overdoing it.

"It's weird, but I understand," she said of their constant calls.

A junior said that his parents fly to visit him approximately three times per academic year, in addition to helping him move in and out. While on campus, they also assist in straightening up his room to their satisfaction.

This is clearly a situation spiraling out of control. Will parents soon start attending campus events and screening which peers their children befriend? The culture of the day encourages parents to intervene as much as they can. While students are probably used to their parents' assistance-in the college admissions process, for example-they should realize it has not always been that way.

Wendy White, the senior vice president at the University of Pennsylvania, wrote in a December 2005 issue of The Chronicle of Higher Education that "some parents intervene in ways that ultimately escalate. issues."

She makes an extremely important point. In accordance with the idea that students must learn for themselves is the idea that they must be able to fend for themselves, without involving their parents at the smallest sign of trouble.

Turning back the clock might not be such a bad idea. Students deserve a healthy respect for their personal lives. College students, just like everyone else, need personal space, and invading it is counterproductive to the university experience.

To any parents reading this, please understand I am not asking you to bug off. To the contrary, most college students value your love and support, and take comfort in having somewhere to turn in times of need. It is important to remember, however, that college is a place for growth and learning, a place for students to gain an understanding of living alone and fending for themselves. This understanding must be gained through action. Just as no one can sleep for another or do other such things, learning to be independent must happen through experience. So please help, support and cherish your children, but while you're doing it, take a step back. For everyone's sake.