College Women Go To Mom For Advice

Young women consult Mom more for advice once they've gone off to college. So says an online survey of about 440 college students — and about 670 parents of such students.

The survey was conducted in July by MarketTools, Inc. for beer company Anheuser-Busch.

The students were at least 21 and currently or recently attended college. The parents all had children age 17 to 25 who went to college then or recently.

The parents and students who took the survey weren't necessarily related.

Most college students — men and women — said they began talking to their moms more about life, responsibility, and healthy decision making when they started college.

Most parents — more than two-thirds of moms and dads — agreed those conversations had become more common since their child started college.

Drinking was one topic that got easier for kids to talk to their parents about after starting college, the survey shows. That was true for both male and female students.

However, when it came to mother-daughter and mother-son communication, the survey results varied a bit.

All mothers reported talking to their kids more about life, responsibility, and healthy decision making. But while more than 70 percent of daughters agreed, only 56 percent of sons did.

"Nearly all parents say their child has talked with them about social pressures, such as dating and drinking," the survey says.

"Moms with daughters are most likely to report that there is free-flowing communication between them," the survey adds.