Books to ease the transition

Christine Schelhas-Miller and Helen E. Johnson, co-authors of "Don't Tell Me What to Do, Just Send Money: The Essential Parenting Guide to the College Years" (St. Martin's Press, 348 pp., $16.95), hail from Cornell University, where Ms. Schelhas-Miller teaches adolescent development and Ms. Johnson, mother of two recent college graduates, founded the First Parent's Program. In addition to humorous dialogue and Doonesbury cartoons that introduce each chapter, their book is chock-full of sound, practical tips for reshaping relationships between parents and their emerging adult offspring and for coping with challenges families face during this critical time.

"Almost Grown: Launching Your Child From High School to College," by Patricia Pasick (W.W. Norton & Co., 244 pp., $14.95) This family therapist and mother of two sons, now 20 and 25, shares insights gained from her counseling practice as well as her own experience. Excerpts from her journal and that of her first-born son reveal how parents and children may experience similar feelings of excitement and anxiety. Personal stories from other parents and children demonstrate that certain issues are common to all families.

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