Your Child’s College Life, A Must-Have Guide For Parents

Today’s review comes courtesy of new college parent, Ronna Mandel.

I have just finished the new edition of The Naked Roommate: For Parents Only ($14.99, Sourcebooks/CollegeCountdown.com) by Harlan Cohen and the timing could not be better. Billed as A Parent’s Guide to the New College Experience, this book has helped me cope with the most important issue first generation (sending your first child to college) college parents must learn – when to butt in and when to butt out. For this alone I must thank you, Harlan Cohen. And how many other reviewers have pointed out that the letter h sets you apart from the mystery/thriller writer Harlan Coben? But believe me, though your book is non-fiction, I was riveted to every page because understanding my daughter’s college life in the year 2012 is akin to reading a well-constructed mystery.

If you thought you were the only parent going through the trials and tribulations of setting your child loose on a path towards independence, enrichment, enlightenment and okay, I’ll admit it, entertainment (because isn’t that what every dorm party is all about?) you can take comfort in this helpful book. New York Times bestselling author and college expert Cohen covers all the bases. He’s never patronizing. Quite the contrary. I pictured myself playing third base with Cohen my encouraging baseball coach. My teammates were all inexperienced college parents, manning the other bases, outfield, shortstop and pitching, too. Though adept at parenting, we all needed a pro to help us anticipate every batter’s (our students) hit and that is exactly what Cohen does in The Naked Roommate: For Parents Only.

I felt I was in good hands when I read each page plus the testimonials from students and various accounts from parents, too. There are questions and answers after each chapter which Cohen calls tips so perhaps if something was not addressed earlier, you’ll find it in the Q&A.  If you want info on how to talk to your kids about communicating with you (texting, Skype, etc.), handling homesickness, dealing with problems and emergencies, navigating the ebb and flow of roommates, romance, tackling time management, tests, professors, grades, this guide is indispensable.

As an additional resource to all the ones already included in the book, parents of college freshmen can join the community Cohen has set up at nakedroommateforparents.com and partake in forums on a wide variety of topics we are all dealing with on a daily basis. So if you’re seeking invaluable advice on sex and drugs and rock ‘n’roll and any number of other activities going on at campuses across the country, turn to the person who has his finger on the pulse of college life and get his book, The Naked Roommate: For Parents Only, today. I’ll see you online.