For 24 hours, there will be a joyous reunion between you and your college-age son or daughter returning home for the holidays.

After that, for helicopter parents, the inevitable micromanaging of your kids’ lives will start again, writes Alfred Lubrano for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

“This is the crazy time of year,” said Maria Kefalas, a St. Joseph University sociologist.

The term helicopter parents, orginating with Baby Boomers, now extends to Gen-X moms and dads ages 43 to 58.

“I know many absurd helicopter parents,” said Haverford attorney Genevieve McCormack, 47, a mother of matriculating twins. “My generation’s gone off the rails with that.”

Merriam-Webster defines helicopter parents as those “overly involved in the life of their child.”

For parents hosting their college child for the holidays?

“Tread lightly,” said Laurence Steinberg, an adolescence expert and professor of psychology and neuroscience at Temple University.

“Of course, you want to know how things are going,” Steinberg said. “But if they want privacy, don’t pry. This is the stage of life when young adults try to establish autonomy from parents. You want to enable, not hinder that.”

Find out more about helicopter parents and what happens when college kids are home for the holidays in The Philadelphia Inquirer.