Welcome back. I'm Dr. Ed, and this is College Parents of America's series on effective college parenting. Where do we start? My answer is to always listen first, hear you student, see them in their life circumstances, understand their experience. It sounds easy, but you as parents know it's hard. Sometimes you want to jump right in and help, or we have the urge to critique or immediately jump to conclusions instead.

Pause and take a breath. When in doubt, listen, here's how, when they start talking, don't interrupt. Don't finish your sentences. Don't be doing anything other than listening. Let them go on as long as they need, even to the point of them asking you if you'll say anything. Allow yourself to hear the whole story.

That's where your power to help. Really comes from your student will then know that you are truly interested in understanding them. Your power to help is listening first and having the patience to listen to the whole story.