Parent’s Corner: Helping You Help THEM

I had an interesting conversation with a mother of a high school rising junior last week.  She was obviously in the midst of an internal struggle and was attempting to set boundaries for herself in regard to the college admissions process.  She admitted to teetering on that slippery precipice of “helicopter mom”, and had already begun feeling frustrated that she felt as though SHE was more interested in her son’s college application prospects than he was.  I counseled Mom that this is a VERY typical parent sentiment at this stage of the process.  Parents consistently tell me that they are more interested, curious, concerned, nervous and excited than their college bound offspring. This dynamic is one of my primary reasons for developing The Complete Candidate ™.  Our primary role as parents is to give our children the tools to live a productive and independent life, and I strongly feel that the college applications process is a perfect occasion to demonstrate this tenet.