Back in the mid-1990s, our son, Ben, was a teenager attending South Eugene High School in Eugene, Oregon.  As he was still a few years away from becoming Scholarship Coach Ben Kaplan, seeking out college funding was something totally new to all of us.

If we can offer any advice to other parents who would like their kids to pursue college scholarships, it would be to play a supporting role--instead of directing the action. This is frequently the hardest lesson for a parent. Nonetheless, it is sometimes the most valuable thing you can do.

Likewise, keep encouraging your child to apply for college scholarships even if the first few bids are unsuccessful. As a family, we've come to realize that learning how to win first means learning how to lose; and in learning how to lose, you actually learn how to win.

Furthermore, scholarship contest results should never be treated as an assessment of how good or talented your child may be. These contests are highly subjective and often unpredictable, and results should never be taken personally, or as a measure of self-worth.

In a nutshell, your role as a parent of a scholarship game player is a multifaceted one. It includes encouraging your child to apply for numerous scholarships, helping him to use time efficiently and meet deadlines, and supporting her in the midst of temporary setbacks. It may also include helping him or her fine-tune applications, conduct research, or express future goals and dreams.

Moreover, being a part of your child’s scholarship team will help you, as it helped us, to become a better parent. So even though the immediate need for college financing may motivate your child's search for scholarships, remember that regardless of outcomes, the effort is most definitely time well spent.