DEAR HARRIETTE: My daughter cannot pick a direction in college. She is nearly halfway through school. "Jenna" says she is still “finding herself” and has switched majors more times than I can count. Back in my day, there was none of this waiting around. I fear since she has been taking random classes, she will have to stay in college longer. I am paying the tuition! How can I force my daughter to become set on a goal and not let it go? -- Choose Your Path Wisely, Syracuse, New York
DEAR CHOOSE YOUR PATH WISELY: It is not unusual for a college student to flounder before settling on a direction. Your job as a parent is to help nudge her along. Being practical can help a lot. Tell your daughter that you cannot afford for her to go to college beyond the traditional four years, so she must choose a path so that she will be able to graduate on time. Talk her through what it costs to go to college in case she ends up needing to be there for more time, so that she can determine how to get financial aid and what her overall strategy will be to succeed.
This is a water-in-your-face kind of experience for your daughter. For her to come to terms with what it takes to go to college and for her to have skin in the game may wake her up to greater focus. Be sure to let her know that she can choose an area of interest and pursue it, and after she has given it a try, if she wants to do something else she can change. For now, though, she must decide.
(Harriette Cole is a lifestylist and founder of DREAMLEAPERS, an initiative to help people access and activate their dreams. You can send questions to askharriette@harriettecole.com or c/o Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.)