The Launching Years: Strategies for Parenting from Senior Year to College Life [Paperback]

Laura Kastner (Author), Jennifer Wyatt (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 27, 2002

Launching a child from home is second only to child-birth in its impact on a family. Parents can end up reeling with the empty-nest blues, while teens find their powers of self-reliance stretched to the breaking point. During the time of upheaval that begins senior year of high school with the nerve-wracking college application process and continues into the first year of life away from home, The Launching Years is a trusted resource for keeping every member of the family sane. From weathering the emotional onslaught of impending separation to effectively parenting from afar, from avoiding the slump of “senioritis” to handling the newfound independence and the experimentation with alcohol and sexuality that college often involves, The Launching Years provides both parents and teens with well-written, down-to-earth advice for staying on an even keel throughout this exciting, discomforting, and challenging time.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The Launching Years--a must-read for parents coping with the two-year transition from high school to college--is an insightful and lively tour of the bumpy road involving college applications, senioritis, freshman freedom, and parent/child separation anxiety. "Launching a child into college can feel as if it's one of our last hands-on parenting acts," explain authors Laura Kastner and Jennifer Wyatt.

The beauty of this book's approach is two-fold: First it opens a window onto the world of young people leaving home, exploring application procrastination, senioritis, college choice, ambivalence about independence, and freshman freak-outs. At the same time, it holds up a mirror to parents, to help them discover deeper truths about themselves with--and without--their children. For example, one section about college applications advises parents to consider the college decision as one involving their child's identity rather than their own and to make sure the college is a good match for the child.

Via lively cases in point and inventive strategies, Kastner and Wyatt address thorny issues, including parent competition about college plans, sad and glad siblings, separating by "spoiling the nest," testing limits with drugs or sex, dumping phone calls from distraught freshmen, and having a college student home for the holidays. The authors' humor and uncommon wisdom will allow parents to let go of their children--yet stay connected with them. The fresh ideas in this book can help parents declare a child's independence and create a more loving and graceful transition to life after high school. --Barbara Mackoff

From Library Journal

Here are two very different approaches to parenting a child going off to college. Kasdin is as good as Dave Barry, maybe better. Calling herself a "recovering hyperparent" by book's end, she takes readers through the agonies of raising a son, who, put gently, was a bit of an underachiever and definitely a procrastinator in terms of college decisions. The frantic Kasdin clashes repeatedly with her laid-back son, and, as she nags and frets and loses sleep, the college application process marches on to its inevitable finish: an acceptance at a safe school (but not her first choice for him). Her stories about college information sessions, SATs, interviews, perky campus guides, and developing Plan B (when Plan A fails) are hilarious. Kasdin is a playwright and humorist whose book is well worth reading by the myriad frustrated hyperparents out there. The Launching Years takes a wholly different approach to the topic. Psychologist Kastner (Univ. of Washington) and Wyatt, a writer and mother, see the pre-college years as "inspiring, discomforting, and humbling," and they provide strategies that will help parents "launch" a child successfully. The authors are clear but cautious on many subjects, e.g., college choice, late bloomers, "senioritis," leave-taking, rules for holiday breaks, romantic entanglements, problems with alcohol and drugs, and stress. Kastner and Wyatt do not give pat advice, instead offering options for parents to consider. With its solid psychological background for parents and college-aged kids, this book is also recommended. Linda Beck, Indian Valley P.L., Telford, PA
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Three Rivers Press (August 27, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0609808060
• ISBN-13: 978-0609808061
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.6 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #325,658 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Only for Certain Parents, May 16, 2004

By 

W. Harwood "willyl" (Burlington, VT USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Launching Years: Strategies for Parenting from Senior Year to College Life (Paperback)

This book appeals to a specific audience: Well-educated, upper middle class parents with a solid relationship with the teen and involvement with high school life and the college application process, and no serious domestic unresolved issues. Its major virtue is to tell obsessive parents to let their burgeoning adults take more control of their lives than they are willing to grant. For the parents of a teen with unresolved issues, or one with a clear idea of how to handle college admissions and their lives in general, the book is silent. The major point is: Back off, parents. If you are not a parent who needs this message of allowing kids to find their own path, you may find it without much utility.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential advice for stressed out parents, September 9, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The Launching Years: Strategies for Parenting from Senior Year to College Life (Paperback)

As the parent of a high school senior, I appreciated this book enormously. The authors provide specific, practical advice and suggestions for how to cope with the avalanche of changes that accompany the "launch" of a child into adulthood. Lots of examples, including some that may make readers think, "At least I don't have that challenge!" I recommend this book highly to anyone who parents a teen. I plan to keep my copy within easy reach.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The most helpful book for a high school launching parent, September 18, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The Launching Years: Strategies for Parenting from Senior Year to College Life (Paperback)

This was an extremely helpful book. Two other launching moms and I had a support group where we read and discussed the incidents in our senior daughters lives and the material in the book. It made me feel less like a failure and more like a great mom. Very uplifting, humorous and helpful. I am giving a copy to our college counselor at the high school to recommend for parents. Great read.