Consider these readings as you prepare for your student to arrive at Sewanee.
The college experience is one that is meant to be both challenging and rewarding for your student. Helping your student navigate college may require new things from you as a supportive family member. The readings on this list were selected by Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) at the Wellness Commons to share research and guidance for how best to support your student through their first year and beyond. While none are required, we suggest checking out one or two (or more!) prior to your student's arrival on campus and through their first semester.
We also recommend reading Starting the Conversation: College and Your Mental Health, a guide that is intended to help families have important conversations about mental health before students leave for college. It explains the laws and rules around privacy and parental notification, and encourages discussion about how students can keep their parents informed.
You may also be interested in reading some letters crafted by Dr. Sherry Hamby, Research Professor of Psychology at the University of the South. In both a letter to her teenage daughter and a letter to her teenage son, Dr. Hamby reviews some important talking points and key research findings that can assist all parents in opening a conversation about sexual assault with their college-bound children.
How to Raise an Adult: Break Free of the Overparenting Trap and Prepare Your Kid for Success by Julie Lythcott-Haims explores how overparenting can harm children. The book offers practical alternative strategies that allow children to make their own mistakes and develop the resilience and self-discipline necessary for success.
This book, written by Harlan Cohen, is a companion to Cohen's best-seller for students, The Naked Roommate. This version just for parents is a guide to everything you need to know about the college experience. It includes advice, facts, and stories from parents, students, and experts across the United States.
Wendy David-Gaines wrote this book to expose the cliches about college. After giving each cliche, David-Gaines gives you the "POCS reality." Real-life stories included int his book are humorous and insightful.
Letting Go: A Parents' Guide to Understanding the College Years is a best-selling book by Karen Coburn and Madge Lawrence Treeger widely considered one of the best guides for parents of new college students. It is based on the real-world experiences of students and parents and is filled with tips for parents going through the college experience.
Helen E. Johnson and Christine Schelhas-Miller's Don't Tell Me What To Do, Just Send Money: The Essential Parenting Guide to the College Years is a humorous and practical guide for parents. This guide provides parents with tips for laying the groundwork to build a new relationship with their child as they navigate the new challenges of life in college.
You're Own Your Own (But I'm Here to Help): Mentoring Your Child During the College Years by Marjorie Savage helps parents navigate setting appropriate boundaries between appropriate involvement with their child's life and respecting their child's independence.
