And then were suddenly silenced:

In many cases, they're footing the bill -- so why can't parents have access to information about what their kids are up to while they're in college?

But many parents have been surprised to find out that they can't see their college students' grades and other records without the student's permission.

Now, the University of Minnesota has started providing the parents of its students online access to grades, finances and other data for the first time this fall.

Yeah, I know, privacy concerns, yadda yadda. Turns out it's all voluntary, although apparently the kids are volunteering in droves. Which is actually not much of a surprise, considering who holds the purse strings in most college-aged relationships.