Anxious Parents Helicopter Into The Workplace

Michael Echter was antsy. For months, his son had rebuffed him when he tried to offer advice and help in finding a summer internship in Los Angeles.

But after sending out 10 resumes and even cold-calling, Brandon -- then a student at Elon University in North Carolina -- had turned up nothing on his own. So Brandon relented and turned to Dad.

Within two hours, Michael -- the marketing director of a New York-based public relations firm, MSL Group Americas -- had gotten his son an interview with a Los Angeles TV-production company, where he ended up interning in 2009.

As the job market becomes increasingly tough, more parents and their 20-something children are struggling with the question of how much help is too much. For many parents, fostering independence takes a back seat if it means ensuring their child's gainful employment. As Michael puts it, "As a parent, you have to understand the, 'I want to do this myself' thing.... But you also have to draw the line, and the ball needs to be moved down the field."