Helping Kids Deal With Their First Year of College

In just a couple of months, many young people will know if they have been selected to enter university and start a new life. Finally, all those hours spent studying have paid off and your children can start a new stage where for the first time they will be able to decide what really motivates them and what they want to study. However, these months until they join the university can be hard for both students and parents. The former will be both nervous and excited while the latter will be anxious thinking about what may happen to their child in an unfamiliar place.

How can you help your child in his or her new life?

Whether or not your child is moving to another city, there are many ways you can help them as parents. Here is a basic guide to making sure your child is well prepared for college.

first year of college

1. Manage a Monthly Budget

Living in a new city is complicated emotionally and also economically, no matter how cheap the destination of origin is, the fact of living in a completely new place will make unforeseen expenses appear, without wanting it. It will take a few months for your child to know where the cheapest stores are, how many times a week he can afford to eat out, or how much money he will need to spend per month on supplies, for example, photocopies. Try to make a list of all the expenses he will have to face and teach him how to manage his monthly money correctly.

On the other hand, if your child has not received a scholarship for his new life at university, you will have to be the one to pay part or all of the expenses, for example, you have to buy assignments online if he/she can’t handle the load. In this sense, it’s not good for you to go overboard with the money.

Tell him that you are going to give him a fixed amount per month and that he has to make do regardless of what he tells you later.

It is better to start giving him just enough and increase the budget if you see it necessary than to give him a lot first and then gradually withdraw the amount, he should get used to economizing from the beginning than having to do it in the middle of the course.

2. Help Your Child Settle in

As soon as they have decided on the city where they are going to move to study, you have to start looking for an apartment, the sooner the better to avoid last-minute surprises.

Many parents are more comfortable sending their children to university residences. They are quite comfortable because they offer some services to make the new life of students easier, such as proximity to the faculty, laundry service, maintenance, meals, even common areas for sports or study.

Whatever it is, don’t leave it for the last weeks and talk about it as soon as possible. Once you know where you are going to move it is advisable to go at least 15 days before to get used to being totally independent.

3. Do not Create Anxiety

It is very typical of overprotective parents to anticipate all kinds of misfortunes before your child even knows where he/she is going to study. You should not follow your child’s every move, if he/she wants to use an essay writing service, then he/she is confident in the decision.

It can be unpleasant and you will only manage to overwhelm him and to diminish his self-esteem, to produce fear. With fear, you will make him or her useless and undermine his or her confidence.

If he or she is going to move anyway, what do you get by scaring him or her, because anticipating misfortunes doesn’t really help anything, only to worry about things that might not even happen? Instead of creating problems, provide solutions.

4. Teach Your Child How to Carry out Daily Tasks

When your child moves to the new city, he/she may be so excited that he/she practically forgets the tasks he/she has to do. Train him ahead of time and ask him to help you with household chores: Where can I buy the best bargains? What can he do if he gets sick? How do I put the washing machine on correctly? What kind of dishes is healthy and easy to prepare?

Not only will she be getting practice, but she will also be giving you a hand around the house and you will have more time for yourselves.

By teaching him all these things you will spend more time with him before he leaves home (which will strengthen the bond between you), you will increase his self-confidence and you will be more relaxed because you will know that he can more or less “manage”.

5. Keep up to Date With New Technologies

It is basic if you want to keep in touch with your child when he/she goes to college. It is the fastest and cheapest way to communicate with him.

A few years ago the fashion was the mails, however, it is faster WhatsApp, not only you can communicate at the time with your child but you can send photos and even audios to avoid having to go writing on the screen. It will be much more comfortable and direct for both of you.

Phone calls are also a must. Companies usually offer packs that include flat rates with some of the contacts of your choice.

Julie Higgins
Author
Julie is a Staff Writer at momooze.com. She has been working in publishing houses before joining the editorial team at momooze. Julie's love and passion are topics around beauty, lifestyle, hair and nails.