ABSTRACT
Jane Johnson had grown up in a poor neighborhood, but she had studied hard and done well in school and now had succeeded in the business world. Every evening she sat down with her son, Evan, doing paperwork as he did his homework. She corrected and cajoled him, calling herself his “homework buddy.” Whenever he was assigned projects, she brainstormed, did Internet research, and was often up late cutting and pasting—long after he’d gone to bed. When she went away on a business trip, however, Evan fell behind in his work. His teacher complained to the parents about the spottiness of his homework. Jane and her husband quarreled. Jane was angry with him for not helping Evan more. Her husband, however, felt that Jane was controlling Evan's work and that as a result, their son hadn't developed his own approaches. “You’re not going to be there in college, telling him what to do and when to do it!” her husband said.
