The Parent Compass: Navigating Your Teen’s Wellness and Academic Journey in Today’s Competitive World

There’s no use sugar-coating it: teens today are stressed out, sleep-deprived, over-committed, and sometimes depressed or even suicidal, and one of the biggest stressors for teens and their parents is the college admissions process. If some parents are willing to falsify standardized test answers, bribe coaches, and make fake donations to charities just to help their kids get into college, then our generation of parents has gotten way off track. It can be hard for parents to practice what they know is right when everyone around them seems to be frantically tutoring, managing, and helicoptering. While well-intentioned, many parents don’t know how best to support their children during this sensitive and stressful time. The Parent Compass provides guidance on how to appropriately parent during the college admissions process and what parents’ roles should be in supporting their teens’ mental health as they navigate high school, college applications, and all the pressures that come along with that busy time of life. Packed with practical advice, useful suggestions, and real case studies drawn from the authors’ combined experience of over 25 years of guiding parents and students through this stressful phase, this book is a toolbox and treasure trove of ideas and answers.