Giving Your Child Guidance To Start College

Let's be realistic, while we as parents may be looking forward to getting those pesky teenagers out of our hair and off at school in the fall, we will also have to face the fact that this is just a beginning step to their adult life and once they are actually enrolled at the college of their choosing things will never be the same again. Naturally, this is a change that can't be avoided and as a parent this is an occasion that is marked by both pride and sadness.
Giving up your child at this time doesn't mean that you need to drop them off at the college campus in August and then forget they ever were around for the next few months. To the contrary, your goal and role will be to guide them through this transition. To give them with the support they need to be successful and the shoulder to cry on for every bump in the road.
Before you begin packing the suitcases and boxes and choosing the dormitory supplies you will need to prepare your child mentally for the road ahead. There are many challenges to this new beginning and there will be some hiccups as they go along. They will face financial challenges along with emotional ones. Many will be alone without familiar supports for perhaps the very first time in their lives, and this means that they may wind up calling Mom or Dad to help guide them through a problem or crisis.
It is at this point that parents must proceed with caution and not put out the welcome flag and invite their student to come running home. Within a few days most issues, even the really serious ones, begin resolving themselves so it is best to listen actively to your student and encourage them to figure out their own plan of action without attempting to rescue them. A large part of becoming an adult is to learn to take care of your own issues.
All things considered, this transition can usually be positive as long as parents understand the challenges that will likely occur during their students first semester away at school. Discussing the potential difficulties and being prepared to deliver the necessary support when issues do arise can really aid both parent and child in this very critical transition into adult life. Success lies with the parents who provide support without offering for the student to retreat and back down from the challenges they confront.