[Jon Stratis]

I think the key with this isn't necessarily to tell parents what they can and can't do, but to get in front of them and establish a relationship with them early on. This starts with a mandatory parents meeting early in the season.

You may not want a parent demanding changes to the robot at competition... So you talk to them about the process the team has for designing and building the robot. Talk about when ideas are brought forward, how decisions are made. And then invite them to get involved early if they are interested!

You don't want parents doing things on the team's behalf without the team's knowledge. So talk to them about how you organize the team. Talk to them about how the team goes about raising funds and reaching out to the community. Talk to them about the importance of coordinating your outreach efforts with the school. And then tell them how they can bring new ideas forward and get involved with these activities!

Some of the best and most dedicated mentors and volunteers I know started out as parents (like Big Al!). Don't tell them what they can't do. Just identify the correct ways bring those ideas and energy forward. Identify contacts for them, give them your e-mail and phone numbers.

We're always upfront with our parents at the beginning of the year. We identify our needs (people to help build field elements, lunches on Saturdays during the build season, etc), talk about how the team works and is run, who the contacts are for them if they have ideas or concerns. Over the years, we've gained 5 mentors from our parent group! And let me tell you... it's a LOT easier to sell parents on mentoring than it is to try to sell a room full of random engineers.