Your son or daughter is about to enter a time that is both exciting and frightening; a period of joy, pain, discovery, and disappointment. These students are beginning a period of their lives that will leave them very different from the way they were previously. Like it or not, you are entering this period with him or her. You will experience the same happiness and defeats that your student does secondhand, but just as vividly.

Of course, no one can ensure that you will completely survive your child's first year at college, but here are some guidelines that might help you make it with a minimum loss of sanity and a maximum strengthening of your new relationship. They are based on the experiences of other parents through the years. At most, these tips will prepare you to deal with some predictable first year conflicts. At the least, they will make you think about your relationship with your son or daughter and that can't hurt.