Dear Harlan,

I think I just passed my "you are not a helicopter parent" final exam: So, my daughter's new dorm fridge is not cold and has been "running" for days. The frozen fruit thawed and she tells me it smells pretty bad. I went to purchase her a replacement, but that morning she told me she ATE the yogurt that had been in her warm fridge on the very hot third floor of her dormitory. I have not heard from her since. No, the hospital has not called. Out of curiosity, I called our local and very wonderful yogurt manufacturer to officially learn how long a cup of their fine product can remain edible without refrigeration. Their answer: 4 hours. So, now what? I wait because I am not a helicopter parent. I assume when she gets a mouthful of seriously disgusting sour milk-flavored, fruit-on-the-bottom, low-fat curdled yuck, she will call and request that I deliver her new fridge. That is, of course, after she blames me for the entire incident. But, for now, I have won this game. I think I deserve an award because I have not picked up the phone, not delivered the new fridge without an official request, not called the nurse's office or local hospitals to see if she is still alive or any other of the hundreds of numbers that I keep posted on my fridge for such an occasion. Hooray for me!

Not Hovering

Dear Not Hovering,

Sour milk and tangy fruit curdles can be a surprisingly delicious 3 a.m. snack after a night out. Your score is 90 out of 100. Getting the fridge earned you a 10-point deduction. Once the warm-yogurt supply was depleted, your daughter could have figured out where to buy or rent a fridge and have it delivered. Still, a 90 is fantastic score.