By Laura Kastner and Jennifer Wyatt

This is a must-read for parents of juniors or seniors in high school, as well as parents of college-aged young adults. With steadfast encouragement, these authors give practical suggestions for successfully launching your teens.

The only "issue" I had with the book is that it describes the college process as occurring in the senior year. I disagree. Launching, and preparing a child for take-off, needs to start much earlier. Getting a college-bound youth ready really needs to begin in the junior year of high school. Pushing all of the college-preparation activities into senior year demands a crisis!

Apart from that, I think the authors did a great job identifying how important this phase of parenting is, and how little attention and support parents get during this challenging time. They also describe the barriers to successful launching, from both the child and parent perspectives. They provide comfort and practical strategies to overcome the typical hurdles. The chapters include suggestions for how to mitigate the stress associated with college applications, and what to do when college-bound teens suddenly get clingy, dependent or rebellious.

The authors point out that with over 3,000 accredited colleges in the United States, there will be a spot for your child. Students with a C average can actually be admitted to more than 1,000 colleges, and B students can attend all but the top 200 schools! Other encouraging facts are that "where" a person goes to college seems to be less important to success than the number of years spent in higher education and the actual completion of the degree.

Instead of worrying about "where" a child goes to college the authors suggest parents focus on:

• Is your teen building strong interests inside and outside of school?
  
• How motivated is your teen?
  
• Does your teen know how to take advantage of whatever resources are available?
  
• Is your teen engaged, aware, resilient, responsible and committed to living a productive life?
  
• What goals and values is your teen reflecting with his/her behavior

There are stories about real families, with real, not perfect children, and gentle reminders to handle our own personal issues outside of our relationships with our children. There is a section about the ADHD child, gap years, alternatives to college, boomerang teens who need some more time at home before going off to school, and even teens who seem to go off the deep end while preparing to launch. Basically, this book includes something for everyone.

Once your teen actually leaves for college, the authors of this wonderful book suggest that your relationship with him or her will likely improve, overnight! I remember leaving my children at kindergarten for the first time, and driving away while they stand at the curb in front of their dorm sounds a little like that! (Ouch!)

This book will help you dry your eyes and move through your grief, or maybe joy that your teen is at college. Some parents are happy and some are devastated with their new "emptier nest," but the second half of this book can help with whatever reaction you are having. In theory, you have gotten them to college, they have everything they need, and the university is supposed to take over.

The Launching Years is a great book for parents of older teens and college-aged students -- the strategies it provides are priceless, even for families in which teens do not leave home but stay at home for a few more years. Every family is different, but all teens have to start being responsible adults at about age 18 and this book can help!

Back to top