Admissions rates of 6 percent? Kids applying to thirty-two colleges? Sixteen-year-olds with more impressive resumes than Fortune 500 CEOs? Has the nation lost its mind? Why yes, it has! J.D. Rothman, the Neurotic Parent of blog fame, takes readers on a hilarious satiric journey through today’s insane college admissions process. The vividly illustrated book takes you from the Itsy-Bitsy Fiske Guide and Junior Kumon Tips for Preschoolers through Rejection Letters from the Heart and Bed Bath & Bye-Bye.

Acceptance by a top college is more than a gold star on a high school graduate's forehead today. It has morphed into the ultimate "good parenting" stamp of approval--the better the bumper sticker, the better the parent, right? Parents of juniors and seniors in high school fret over SAT scores and essays, obsessed with getting their kids into the right college, while their children push for independence. I'm Going to College---Not You! is a resource for parents, written by parents who've been in their shoes. Kenyon College dean Jennifer Delahunty shares her unique perspective (and her daughter's) on one of the toughest periods of parenting, and has assembled a top-notch group of writers that includes best-selling authors, college professors and admissions directors, and journalists. Their experiences with the difficult balancing act between control freak and resource answer questions like: --how can a parent be less of a "helicopter" (hovering) and more of a "booster rocket" (uplifting)? --what do you do when your child wants to put off college to become a rock star? and --how will you keep from wanting to kill each other? Contributors include: Jane Hamilton David Latt Neal Pollack Joe Queenan Anne Roark Debra Shaver Anna Quindlen Ellen Waterston

"Many parents work more hours outside of the home and their lives are crowded with more obligations than ever before; many children spend their evenings and weekends trying out for all-star teams, traveling to regional and national tournaments, and eating dinner in the car while being shuttled between activities. In this vivid ethnography, based on almost 200 interviews with parents, children, coaches and teachers, Hilary Levey Friedman probes the increase in children's participation in activities outside of the home, structured and monitored by their parents, when family time is so scarce. As the parental "second shift" continues to grow, alongside it a second shift for children has emerged--especially among the middle- and upper-middle classes--which is suffused with competition rather than mere participation. What motivates these particular parents to get their children involved in competitive activities? Parents' primary concern is their children's access to high quality educational credentials--the biggest bottleneck standing in the way of, or facilitating entry into, membership in the upper-middle class. Competitive activities, like sports and the arts, are seen as the essential proving ground that will clear their children's paths to the Ivy League or other similar institutions by helping them to develop a competitive habitus. This belief, motivated both by reality and by perception, and shaped by gender and class, affects how parents envision their children's futures; it also shapes the structure of children's daily lives, what the children themselves think about their lives, and the competitive landscapes of the activities themselves"--

With the same blend of wit, common sense, and empathy that is needed to be a good parent, child psychologist Michele Elliott offers parents a treasure trove of tips for getting through the day, getting through life, and getting through a crisis with children ages four to twelve. This highly browsable compendium is full of practical advice on common problems, entertaining anecdotes, illuminating quizzes, and helpful suggestions on parenting matters practical, educational, and spiritual. Topics range from how to get children to bed on time or stop sibling fights, to how to maximize kids' learning abilities; from how to answer embarrassing questions to how to create holiday magic without spending a fortune; from how to help children cope with grief to the ten worst and ten best things you can say to a child. Perfect parents -- like perfect children -- don't exist, but those who follow the invaluable advice in this book will be 601 ways nearer to getting it right

A top college admissions insider exposes the never-before revealed secrets to getting into one of America’s elite colleges. Your child is smart. Your child is on the honor roll. Your child aced the SAT. But is it enough to get into a top-tier college? In the Dirty Little Secrets of Getting into a Top College, educational consultant Pria Chatterjee simplifies the complicated process of college admissions, providing parents and students with the tools needed to secure a spot at one of America’s most competitive colleges. In the spirit of Kitchen Confidential, Chatterjee gives readers an exclusive look inside the college admissions office—and the mind of a college admissions officer—and exposes just what elite schools look for in a potential student. Through a series of real-world case studies and with a store of deep insider knowledge, Chatterjee will help you navigate the thicket of college admissions and show parents and students what skills and attributes to stress (and what to downplay) when applying to your dream school. • 100% SUCCESS RATE: This is the bullet proof guide to getting into a top college from a consultant with a 100 percent success rate getting her clients into one of America’s best universities. • INSIDER KNOWLEDGE: Last year 35,000 students applied to Harvard. Only 6 percent were accepted. Chatterjee, a Harvard alum who interviews potential Harvard students as a member of the university’s schools committee, explains that you too can be a member of that elite group. But you must stress the right qualifications.

Andrew Ferguson's wildly entertaining memoir of his absurd experience trying to do all the right things to get his son into college.

When it came to college acceptance for his first-born child, Hank Herman-an average Dad with average hopes and dreams for his son's college career-imagined he could resist the urge to meddle, that he could allow his son to make decisions for himself. Feeling slightly smug and superior to the good parents he'd seen go berserk before, he vowed not to become controlling and obsessed.Flash-forward to the 2' x 3' "war board" Herman has created to organize and rate the 36 colleges or universities he's selected as "suitable" for his son. Note the lengths to which he goes to "market" his candidate/son as a scholar and an athlete. See the sports scrapbook he has naively constructed for the coaches who now, alas, only accept video clips. Funny, self-deprecating, and all-too-familiar to today's parents, Accept My Kid, Please! details one good father's battle with his worst side. A book for parents looking ahead to or back at their child's college application process, it is an amusingly accurate cautionary tale.