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There is only a very thin line between being protective and being over protective. While a lot of parents tend to get over caring about their children, they fail to realize that by intervening in each and every aspect of their child's life might be doing more harm than good. Such parents, who contact their children's professors, try to settle down disputes between their child and his/her friends, roommates, hunt for jobs for their children, etc. Often they are referred to as  helicopter parents.

A new research by professors at Brigham Young University indicates that, even though the intentions of helicopter parents are good, their overprotective nature might be the reason why their children sometimes skip class and turn in assignments late, Medical Xpress reported.

For the study, Professors Laura Padilla-Walker and Larry Nelson studied 438 students from four universities around and found that about one-fourth of the students that it's their parents who make all important decisions for them. Also, one-third of the parents admitted making important decisions for their children.

While analyzing the data, the researchers found that this over caring nature of the parents seems to backfire in terms of school engagement.

"It would seem that emerging adults should be personally invested in their own growth and development by solving their own problems with roommates, making their own decisions about employment, and seeking their own help from professors," write the study authors. "By not doing so, emerging adults may be robbing themselves of the experiences and practice necessary to develop skills that are essential for success in marriage, careers, and adult social interactions."

The study is published in the October issue of the Journal of Adolescence.