When your children come to the age of heading away to attend college, you might find yourself fretting as to how exactly to send them off with the best-possible start without smothering them. They’re about to be independent, moving on with their lives as young adults, so finding the right balance between good advice and infuriating overbearingness is key to helping your children get the most out of their time at college. Here are some quick tips to bear in mind when sending your offspring off onto the next big chapter in their independent development.
Financial
Keeping your kids afloat at university or college means ensuring they’re well-prepared to manage their finances without the constant supervision you might have been observing at home. Encourage them to get a part-time job to establish a value of work and earning in them, and to enable a more enjoyable lifestyle. You may have saved for years in order to fund their way through college, but don’t dish out the cash without looking at commonbond student loans that will give your child more financial independence, managing money that’s all theirs, and thus building their financial responsibility.
Emotional
The ups and downs of adult life really start hitting home when children move out to attend a further education course. They’ll relish the opportunity to be more independent and to live life their way, but they’ll inevitably hit some low points at which parental guidance and emotional support will be important to prop them back up. You’ll have your own unique emotional relationship with your offspring, but be aware that you should be allowing your children to recover from setbacks on their own while nonetheless leaving your door swung wide open in case of your child experiencing turmoil that they require help with.
Academic
Your child is at college to gain an academic qualification that will set them in good stead when entering the job market, with talents and skills refined so that the higher-level employers will be interested in hiring them. Never let your child lose sight of this goal – they may need to make sacrifices and establish some all-important self-discipline for the rocky road ahead but keep reminding them that the reason they’re paying for an expensive college system is to be able to get a good job or further qualifications in the future; it’s something not to waste.
Lifestyle
The college lifestyle is infamous as some of the best, most fun, exciting times in the life of a young adult. By and large, it’s important to let your child have their fun and extract exactly what they want out of their time at college, but speaking to them about negative lifestyle choices and bad habits before they leave home is a good idea. This advice may stick in their minds as temptations and parties begin to lure them from their studies. Everything from sexual health to drug warnings should be something that you’ve broached as a parent – they’ll help to keep your child on the fun side of the college experience.
Establishing the right level of support for your child at college can feel like balancing your care with a distance needed to help them achieve their potential. Follow these rough guidelines so that you’re always there to propel your child to a productive and happy college experience.
