Let the security blanket slip away, guys.

The Wall Street Journal released an article on Sept. 11 explaining what might be a new trend for millennials.

According to the piece, “A 2012 survey of more than 500 college graduates by Adecco, a human-resources organization, found that 8 percent of them had a parent accompany them to a job interview, and 3 percent had the parent sit in on the interview.”

Yes, you read that right.

Although the percentage is small, college graduates are taking their parents on job interviews and even into the interviewing room. For millennials to be labeled as a highly competitive and overachieving generation, it is silly to think that we still need mommy and daddy by our side at our place of business.

Parental support and involvement in their college-aged child’s life is important, but incorporating parents in the workplace ultimately deprives millennials of the independence they need to make critical decisions on their own and thrive in the changing job market of today.

But why would employers want to bring parents in to social office events, company open houses or even send them letters regarding their child’s performance?

According to the WSJ article, corporations have started to embrace parental coddling. They want to cater to the notion of Generation Y “helicopter-parents,” who are much closer with their children – compared to previous generations –, in hopes of attracting more talent and boosting “employee morale.”

With parents lurking around the office in interviews or even attending events like “Take Your Parents to Work Day” – a day companies like Google Inc. and LinkedIn Inc. are already beginning to host – young adults cannot learn to take on new environments independently.

Being an active mom or dad is one thing. Young adults need to be supported in their decisions and in tough situations they will face. Parents are vital to helping us stay on track when we can easily get distracted by all of the outside influences and distractions that college brings.

But a parent in the workplace crosses the line. Starting a career in your respective field after college is a time to continue professional development, grow your network and strengthen the skills and talents you already have to end up in the position you ultimately want to achieve.

It is time for millennials to take the diapers off.

We’ve gone long enough with parents hovering over our every move in high school and as teenagers. From the days of enrolling us in all kinds of enrichment and leadership programs – that would coincidentally take place bright and early on Saturday mornings – and SAT classes, to riding our backs about college applications and scholarships, parents have done more than enough for us.

High school is a far more viable time, if any, for students to be heavily dependent on their parents. The fact that they are still under their parents’ roof forces them to play by their parents’ rules.

But, upon entering college, we have to find a new dynamic in the close relationship we have with our parents; one where we take it upon ourselves to establish boundaries that help us become more independent and self-reliant.

As much as we may want the reassuring presence of a parent by our side during the challenging experience on our first job or job interview, we have to find the confidence to fend for ourselves.

Bringing a parent along on a job interview or into the workplace setting only hinders us. We’re grown now –– It’s OK to leave them at home.

Nina Rodgers is a sophomore sociology major. Her column appears weekly. She can be reached at nmrodger@syr.edu.

Published on September 17, 2013 at 1:30 am