And yes, my standing theory is that the powers are usually the result of the Dandelions trying to help, but not always knowing what’s the best way to do that due to not really understanding humanity.
They might also be either unable or disallowed to do much other than empower, for that matter, kind of like the immortals from El Goonish Shive (who are limited by immortal law to “guiding and empowering”, though they can interpret that rather liberally to justify their actions).