
I would argue that it's being far too overprotective. These are the classic Helicopter Parents. You can see that they love their daughter to death. And, it appears that the daughter, Fallon, is really happy having them living in her apartment. But, I would argue that's probably because she's used to them hovering over her all her life.
Some would say there's nothing wrong with it. Young people all over the world live at home while going to a local college. It's a way to save money while also being the first step transitioning to adulthood.
But going away to college is a different story. This is Fallon's opportunity to get away from her parents safely and put into action all she's learned living at home.
Mom and Dad say that they wanted to take a year off and live somewhere else, and it just so happened to be the same city in which their daughter was attending college.
Will this ruin Fallon for life? Probably not. Will it make it harder for her to transition to adult independence? There's a good chance it will take her longer. It's hard to let go, but it's imperative for our children's well-being as well as rediscovering ourselves as adults, not just parents. Having an empty nest is also the opportunity to remember who we are as couples and rediscover romance as well as our partners.
Fallon, kick them to the curb and order a pizza!
image courtesy of ©iStockphoto.com/claudelle