Word Count: 532 Date: Sun, 27 May 2007 6:22 PM
Preparing Your Teen For College
Are you the parent of a graduating high school? senior? Are you having jitters about how your teen is going to handle going to college and being away from home?
We all know that leaving home and beginning a college or life on one’s own can be absolutely wonderful and an exciting adventure. However, it can also be a rocky road for teens and parents alike. Your child is about to enter college, a new world. If s/he is going to live on campus he will be leaving everything that is familiar to him behind, including, family, friends, school, community and the dog and cat.
Your teen may be an hour away by car or six hours away by plane. Your teen may begin to feel out of sorts, lonely, much time on his hands, awkward, etc.… His roommates are not saying any of this out loud and neither is he.
He may want to call home and tell you that he just made the biggest mistake of his life and you should get in the car immediately or send a ticket to him to come home. Your teen is wondering “Why am I so homesick?” This is what I wanted!
You can prepare your teen for this inevitable let down.
The first thing I want you to know is that these feelings are 100% normal and that the majority of freshman are experiencing exactly the same thing. I have put together a list of things your teen can do to feel better. This is not a recipe, with each ingredient dependent on the other, rather these choices you can offer your teen to make this huge transition into college life and get rid of the homesick blues.
=> Talk with his roommates about what you are feeling. Most likely they are feeling it, too.
=> Stay in touch with family and friends, but not in place of college activities.
=> Write an email to a friend at another college and share feelings, compare notes.
•=> Do something he enjoys, like exercise, art, around the dorm room alone waiting for life to happen.
•=> Ask someone to go the cafeteria with for a meal. No one wants to eat alone.
•=> Try to eat in moderation (watch the junk food), get enough sleep (invest in a good set of earplugs) and watch the intake of alcohol and drugs, which can all act as depressants. (In your effort to take a break from your depressive thoughts, using drugs can throw you into even a more depressed mood.)
=> Tell him to give himself time to adjust and not to put himself down. Leaving home and being on one’s own is a
BIG DEAL!
On the flip side, you the parent, most likely are missing your teen. (This may actually surprise you!) You may also be worrying about how he is doing. The above choices which I suggested that you share with your teen-
Well, take your own advice! Follow the above list for yourself as well!
About the Author
Susan P. Epstein, LCSW, Parent Life Coach, works with parents looking to get control of their family life. She practiced psychotherapy for 23 years before becoming a coach, writer and speaker. An expert in the areas of family dynamics, parenting and child development, Susan will uncover and unleash your parenting power. You can read more of Susan's parenting articles, and the special report 'Take Back Your Parenting Power" at Susan's website http://www.ParentingPowers.com .
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