...or What Parents Can Do During the Holiday Break To Tune in to Their Teen’s Emotional Needs and Prevent a Tragedy

Your teen spent months studying for those SATs, filling out college applications and agonizing. Then came the acceptance letter! So he moves into the dorm, you hug goodbye and drive away assuming that the stress is over and his new life has begun. Right?

(More students are leaving during the second semester of their first year. Parenting expert Michele Borba tells parents how they can help. Watch the video.)

Not according to the latest statistics from university counseling centers. Stress and pressure in teens has reached epidemic levels. In fact, the freshman year dropout rate has reached an all-time high at more than 26 percent (that’s one out of every four students). Plus, four out of ten students report feeling depressed to the point that it was difficult to function.

Depression, stress, and drop-outs peak during the second half of the first year. College counselors are aware of these troubling stats and are making changes on campuses to try to better meet kids’ emotional needs. Meanwhile, thousands of college students are home for the holidays, back to family and friends. And it’s over this holiday break when parents play a critical role in making sure that second semester goes smoother and safer.

Here are seven things you can do:

If you ever had even the slightest bit of guilt about saying “No" to your kids materialistic whims, you can kiss those feelings away. A University of Minnesota study out just last week confirmed what every parent has instinctively known deep down: we're not doing our kids any favors by giving in to their every whim and spending urge.

Deborah Roedder John and Lan Nguyen Chaplin, the lead authors of the study, found that materialistic kids are less happy, more anxious, feel less secure, have lower self-esteem, are less able to handle adversity, and are less generous and charitable. Wow! And if that doesn't convince you to hide that ATM card, the study also found that materialistic kids have lower opinions of their parents and argue with them more.

Get a plan now to halt the gimmes in your home -- and stick to it! Think of it: you'll be saving money, be less stressed, save hours now that you don't have to shop, and boost your kid's self-esteem! Sounds almost too good to be true. And what better time to start than during the holidays.

Last year your daughter was so sweet. This year, suddenly, she has an “attitude.”

Two months ago your son was your best bud. Now he treats you like you're totally “uncool.”

Welcome to parenting a teenager.

Throw out any of those child-rearing manuals you've used in the past. For this age, you need a whole new perspective. Mark Twain offered one solution: “Put them in a barrel, and nail it shut until they turn nineteen. Only then should you let them out.” Amen!

Here are a few more realistic (and legal) tips that might help you save your sanity and stay connected to your teen:

Know they're a little bit crazy. If you think you suddenly have an alien in your midst, applaud yourself. You're right. At no other time in your teen's life will his body undergo so many physical, sexual and emotional changes. So now's the time to alter your parenting style.