Here are some ways you can help instead of hinder what is probably the first, most important decision your child will have to make. Let your child know it's his or her decision, not yours. Parents should evaluate their own goals for sending their children to college. Get out of the way to let your child clarify his or her own values.
Parents are responsible for many of the values their children hold.
But now that their child is assessing what he or she thinks important, it's time for parents to step aside and allow the child to stand alone. Be supportive but give your child lots of room to make the decision alone. Coming to a conclusion is part of the growing process and one of many future decisions. Lead your child to trust his or her own instincts. Later in life your child will have to rely on his or her own decision-making capability.