There's no manual issued to new parents about how to do the job right. But experienced parents (and grandparents) can often lend advice about how to do the job right, what to worry about, and most importantly, how to survive the inevitable bumps of parenting that just come with the gig. Jay Mathews of the Washington Post recently saw his youngest daughter graduate from law school, thereby ending for Jay "…22 years of SAT fretting, application essay editing, rejection angst, acceptance relief and tuition paying." Jay has a long history of sharing sane college admissions advice and perspective in his column, and today's entry, "Six ways to survive college search with a smile" is no different.
Any parent who embraced just those six lessons would virtually guarantee a more enjoyable and successful college process for yourself and for your kids.