Don't Tell Me What to Do, Just Send Money: The Essential Parenting Guide to the College Years - Softcover

Johnson, Helen E.; Schelhas-Miller, Christine

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0312263740 ISBN 13: 9780312263744

Publisher: Golden Guides from St. Martin's Press, 2000

Synopsis

Finally, a Dr. Spock for College Parents

Does your daughter call home in tears over the latest "crisis," leaving you feeling helpless and concerned? Is your son confused about his major? When children leave for college many parents feel uncertain about their shifting role. By emphasizing the importance of being a mentor, Don't Tell Me What to Do, Just Send Money shows that parents may have lost control over their college student, but they haven't lost influence.

Brimming with humorous case examples and realistic dialogues, this comprehensive guide covers the fundamental college issues, including:
* Preparing for College: what to bring, how to stay in touch, and how to handle money
* Adjusting Socially: roommates, stress, time management, and Greek life
* The Search for Identity: intimate relationships, choosing a major, and lifestyle and value decisions
* Handling Crises: depression, drug and alcohol abuse, dropping out, and eating disorders
* Postgraduate Choices: job hunting, internships, and graduate schools

About this title

Review

Parenting a college-bound student is a tricky business--combining your emotional and financial support with your child's newfound independence can seem nearly impossible. The authors of Don't Tell Me What to Do, Just Send Money are all too familiar with these difficulties and have created a practical guide that addresses specific situations and provides effective guidelines for changing the parent-child relationship. Topics are addressed frankly, and many parents may have trouble reading the sections concerning controversial subjects such as drug and alcohol use, birth control, homosexuality, and changes in religious and political beliefs. The emphasis here is not on changing your kid's mind about any of these things, but rather how parents can approach these sensitive topics while maintaining a positive and honest relationship. Most pages contain small text boxes highlighting what's on your mind and what's on your child's mind, as well as practical lists suggesting what to do and what to avoid, and these can be extremely helpful as a quick reference when faced with a sudden announcement from your student who's decided to change majors, stop living in the dorm, or study abroad.

With a down-to-earth tone and clear insight into the minds of both parents and college students, this is an easy-to-read book that manages to handle difficult topics without preaching or downplaying important events. Ultimately, this book aims to help parents and their nearly adult children make the transition to a new kind of relationship, ideally one that is open and mutually respectful. With careful reading and consideration, the suggestions presented will help create a handy road map to lead you through the twists and turns of parenting your college student. --Jill Lightner

About the Author

Helen Johnson founded and directed Cornell University's first Parents' Program. She has worked for more than twenty-five years in higher education as a writer, career center director, assistant dean of students, and program manager. She is the parent of two recent college graduates and lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

Christine Schelhas-Miller teaches adolescent development in the department of human development at Cornell University and is a consultant to independent, secondary schools on issues related to adolescent development. For over twenty years she has worked in higher education, providing academic, personal, and career counseling to students. She is the parent of two children and lives in Ithaca, New York.

About this edition

• Publisher: Golden Guides from St. Martin's Press
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 0312263740
• ISBN 13: 9780312263744
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 368