Do you have older children who are nearing the age of leaving home for the first time? Here are some handy tips to help them prepare for their next stage in life
Fortunately all of our kids are still a long way off this stage of their lives but, for those with older offspring, hopefully you’ll find some useful tips from this guest authored article.
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Introduction
Eventually, the time will come when your children will likely leave home and go to college/university. As parents, it can be a difficult time. But for kids, it can be even harder. Living independently brings a host of challenges.
Parents, therefore, need to do everything they can to prepare their kids for the experience. Colleges do quite a lot to assist the students in their care, but there is still a role for you at home.
Get Kids To Manage Their Own Schedules
Living at home, many children don’t have control over their schedules. Instead, they leave it to their parents to plan out their days. In the morning, you get them up for school and, if you homeschool, set out their lesson plan for the day. Then you arrange activities for them on evenings and weekends.
Kids, though, need opportunities to manage their own schedules. If they don’t get them, then they will struggle to take control over their time. Having freedom in college will make them feel more anxious and could potentially derail their academic progress. Try to give children the opportunity to control their schedules as early as you can so that they can direct their own activities.
Help Them With Budgeting
Students also have to become masters of budgeting. They need to figure out ways of getting by on relatively little money. They must set cash aside for tuition fees, student accommodation, food, clubs and entertainment.
As a parent, you can help children manage their money by giving them some grown-up financial skills. Things like teaching them about where to spend their money and how to manage their bank account can help. You can also teach them how to pay off credit card bills and show them websites that tell them how to better manage their money.
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Talk To Them About Safety
For parents, safety concerns are one of the hardest parts about letting children go to college. Students often assume that campus is a safe place, but that isn’t always the case.
Colleges do everything they can to create a safe environment, but they are not always successful. Students must take responsibility for their own safety and follow common sense advice. For instance, teens should avoid walking long distances between campus and town late at night. They should also have safety apps on their phones so that they can contact people in an emergency.
Visit The College Town For A Weekend
Before releasing your child to college permanently, take them up for a weekend in advance so that they can practice settling into life in the town. Stay in a hotel or rented accommodation and then do things like walk around campus, take the bus and go to the store. Giving kids a sense of the lay of the land can help to make settling in easier at the start of term. You can locate the campus medical facility, library and sports centre. You can also find out what services are available on campus to make it easier for your teen to transition once they arrive.
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