New book, The Parent Compass, helps guide parents toward healthier relationships with their teens

When the Operation Varsity Blues scandal erupted in 2019, Menlo Park resident Cindy Muchnick‘s phone “started exploding,” she recalls.

That wasn’t surprising given that she’s an expert in the college admission process, having run a private study skills and college counseling business for over 15 years in Southern California before moving north in 2018. Since closing her private educational practice in 2011, she’s focused on public speaking to student, parent, school and business groups on a variety of education-related topics.

Along the way, she met education consultant Jenn Curtis. “We talked while the scandal was still unfolding and decided we needed to do something to re-educate parents and help get them back on track,” Cindy says.

The result is the book, The Parent Compass, set for publication on September 15. There will be a virtual launch party on Wednesday, Sept. 16 at 5:00 pm.

Cindy (pictured right) and Jenn will be joined by Dr. Denise Pope, Senior Lecturer at Stanford University and Co-Founder of Challenge Success, and Chris Mazzola, Head of School at The Branson School, for a brief discussion of parenting in today’s challenging academic environment.

According to Cindy, The Parent Compass provides tools for parents to adopt better parenting behavior and learn about the type of parenting that leads to their children’s academic success and emotional well-being. It addresses how to help kids develop resilience, grit, and intention, and it discusses failure, technology/screen time, the importance of family dinner, study skills, and much more.

“The book basically asks parents to follow their parent compass — a parent compass movement we are leading and trying to teach — which we believe is an antidote for all of the bad stuff that is going on,” says Cindy.

“Plus the teen years go by pretty quickly. There’s no reason to create more anxiety!”

The Parent Compass can be ordered online.