The Launching Years

October 1, 2002
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 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2002
Kastner and Wyatt, authors of "The Seven-Year Stretch: How Families Work Together to Grow through Adolescence" (1997), explore how families cope with the transition period when children leave home for college and begin their adult lives. They note the changes in modern parent-child relationships that have prolonged adolescence and dependence on parents, adding to the tensions and frustrations of that last year of high school and first year of college. This book aims to help parents and adolescents negotiate new roles in their relationships, using vignettes to illustrate the stress felt by all parties and how parents can assess whether to provide more support or more freedom. Part one of the book focuses on issues of senior year in high school: the arduous college application process, senioritis, prom, and graduation. Part two focuses on the first year of college: parenting from afar, sad siblings, and helping the college student deal with issues from grades to drugs to sexual freedom. This is a useful resource for parents facing the imminent departure of their children to college. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2002, American Library Association.)