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Moving On: Transition Tips for Parents of Seniors
We'll add frequent tips here to help navigate the waters of a successful transition time---getting though the college application process or defining post high school plans, and simply moving on to a new and different relationships. Emotions run high during this time, and its sometimes hard to remember that soon this year will be over. There is a fine balance parents must maintain in helping students become independent without totally letting go!
Please let us know if there is a specific topic you are most interested in, we'll include it in upcoming tips! Thanks.
TIP
Today's teens live in a very competitive world. When we were applying to colleges (if we did) we may have applied to one or two schools and usually our parents had very little to do with the process. I don't think my parents even knew much about my college plans until I received my acceptance letter--much different than my experiences with my own two sons.
Acknowledge and try to understand the pressure teens feel during this process. Listen to yourself as you talk with them about their essays, applications and plans. Sometimes teens feel a tremendous responsibility and pressure to compete with their peers, to get into the 'right' school and to make the 'right' decision. I once read that teens are like "ducks on a pond. Outside they look cool, but underneath they are paddling like crazy." Acknowledge their hard work and spend some time laughing together.
Last Weeks TIP:
As the calendar year begins to wind down, college deadlines begin to loom. Remind your student to keep track of all deadlines on a calendar in your home. Gently urge them to keep an eye on those dates. Don't be surprised if the deadlines for financial aid are not as pressing for them, they may be less concerned right now with how to pay for college. (Although you may be VERY concerned!). Let them drive this process, but monitor the deadlines along with them--guiding them and modeling organization skills if possible.