pgbabygirl,
When I am instructing someone I tell them I will take the plane away from them when I think they can't recover it themselves. When a student first starts out I will take it away quite often, but as I see their skills increase I will let them have it longer so that they can learn to recover the plane themselves. You need to realize that a lot of instructors out there have been instructing for a long time, so they have a pretty good idea of what you can and can't do. Give them some credit that they know what they are doing and that they'll bring you along in your training just as fast as they possibly can.

Ken