Somehow, despite
months of preparation, I wasn’t quite ready to let her go. . .
This summer I did what I often do when faced with a new
challenge—I read. Here I will share an
article and a few books I found helpful for this “off to college” transition:
The Chronicle of
Higher Education recently featured a helpful, practical article,
It offers several suggestions for gradually letting go of
daily involvement in your now young adult’s life including—
--Be available to listen but initiate few phone calls.
--Let your child contact professors and administrators
without your interference.
--Talk to your child about the difference between high
school “homework” and college “coursework.” Explain the importance of the
syllabus for each course and how professors are not as lenient or understanding
about missed classes.
--Discuss the use and abuse of alcohol and drugs with your
child before he/she leaves home.
--Make sure he/she knows how to do laundry.
--Create an online family calendar to help with scheduling.
Here are some books that contain good tips and information
about college life and the transition to young adulthood:
The Naked Roommate For
Parents Only: A Parent’s Guide to the New College Experience by Harlan
Cohen (a companion version to the one for students, which is also excellent)
The Launching Years:
Strategies for Parenting from Senior Year to College Life by Laura Kastner
and Jennifer Wyatt
I’m Going to College—Not
You! Surviving the College Search with
your Child, Edited by Jennifer Delahunty (some amusing and some more
philosophical essays on the college launch)
Good luck with the launching process—it’s an important
transition both for the college freshman and for the family left behind.
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