Flickr user St Georges School
Saying goodbye to your college-going child can be hard. The feeling of loss can be overpowering, blurring out the feeling of excitement and happiness for what lies ahead for your student. While each parent deals with their roller coaster of emotions differently, there are a few things you can do to help ease the intensity of your student leaving for college.
Be gentle on yourself
The pain of your student leaving for college is real and it’s okay to feel it. Don’t try to fight it or ignore it, but don’t allow yourself to wallow in it for too long. College students do better when they know that their family back home is doing okay.
Focus on the rest of the family
Your partner, your kids, or pets at home still continue to have needs and they need your caring and support too. Don’t neglect them. Staying involved will help lessen the feeling of loss for everyone.
Stay in touch with your college kid
Before your child goes off to college, have a discussion about how and how often you will communicate. Some college students may crave weekly conversations with family members back home while others may prefer twice or even once a month. Establish what works out best for everyone and keep those conversation dates, no matter what. It helps everyone, your college student as well as all family members back home.
Send them care packages
A little touch of home can make everyone smile. By sending home-baked treats (that aren’t perishable), gift cards, supplies, tiny toys, or needed clothing items, both the sender and the recipient can feel a little bit closer together.
Use College Raptor to discover personalized college matches, cost estimates, acceptance odds, and potential financial aid for schools around the US—for FREE!
