This satire is painfully on point! The line 'I was already tracking her on Life360, but I needed to see her physically' perfectly captures how surveillance technology enables - and then fails to satisfy - helicopter parents' anxiety. Once you start monitoring, no amount of data feels sufficient. The escalation from Life360 to physically stalking to threatening the gym boy to un-enrolling her from college is a brilliant slippery slope that exaggerates real parenting patterns we all recognize. What makes this particularly effective is that Jackie genuinely believes she's being a good mother. Her conviction that Meg's independence is actually 'derailment' and her 'finest hour' speech reveal the cognitive distortions that justify smothering behavior. The ASL detail is chef's kiss - Meg literally learning a secret language to communicate without her mother understanding. And the ending where Meg is 'back home sleeping a lot' (i.e., probably depresed) while Jackie remains completely oblivious is heartbreaking beneath the humor. The scary part is that while this is obviously satire, there are real parents reading this who are tracking their college kids on Life360 right now, following their social media, calling their professors, and genuinely believing it's love rather than control. The difference between them and Jackie is merely a matter of degree, not kind. Brilliantly executed!
This satire is painfully on point! The line 'I was already tracking her on Life360, but I needed to see her physically' perfectly captures how surveillance technology enables - and then fails to satisfy - helicopter parents' anxiety. Once you start monitoring, no amount of data feels sufficient. The escalation from Life360 to physically stalking to threatening the gym boy to un-enrolling her from college is a brilliant slippery slope that exaggerates real parenting patterns we all recognize. What makes this particularly effective is that Jackie genuinely believes she's being a good mother. Her conviction that Meg's independence is actually 'derailment' and her 'finest hour' speech reveal the cognitive distortions that justify smothering behavior. The ASL detail is chef's kiss - Meg literally learning a secret language to communicate without her mother understanding. And the ending where Meg is 'back home sleeping a lot' (i.e., probably depresed) while Jackie remains completely oblivious is heartbreaking beneath the humor. The scary part is that while this is obviously satire, there are real parents reading this who are tracking their college kids on Life360 right now, following their social media, calling their professors, and genuinely believing it's love rather than control. The difference between them and Jackie is merely a matter of degree, not kind. Brilliantly executed!
Love the voice here. Says a lot about the main character. The photographs that accompany the story are also a perfect fit.
This was horrifying, like a perfectly coiffed Karen smiling with way too many teeth
Shit, that was more horrifying than it should've.
This is hilarious...and me in 10 years! Moving into the storage closet is a genius tip. ;)
I think I know this person. I think I am this person.
😂
❤️
That's wild. Absolutely not. 😳