Michael Thompson, psychologist and author of Homesick and Happy: How Time Away from Parents Can Help a Child Grow, says that part of a parent’s job is to raise a child who is secure and independent enough to leave the comfort of his or her parents. And to do that, you might need to pass on other jobs some parents take on. This article from The Atlantic shares Thompson’s list of eight things parents cannot do for their children, no matter how much we may want to. While his advice is intended for parents with younger children, #4 is applicable for those with high schoolers.
4. We cannot successfully double as our child’s agent, manager, and coach.”
Parents who research all the schools, fill out the applications, and edit or even re-write the essays tend to be doing so for passive college applicants. As we see every year with our Collegewise students, the more responsibility students take for their own process, the more successful they’re likely to be at getting into—and succeeding in—college.