Nothing beats experience when it comes to learning so gain knowledge from this article “An Experienced Mom’s Guide for Sending Kids to College”.
For most parents, sending kids to college is the first real separation that often leaves them with a gaping hole in their hearts.
This is a major transition when children set off into the world on their own for the first time.
From that point on, they are slowly, but surely separating from their parents and starting to build their own lives.
While this is an important and inevitable step in life, parents are left behind to deal with that sudden feeling of emptiness that roams their homes.
Saying goodbye to your children is always difficult, but it’s important that you deal with separation in a healthy way.
Table of Contents
Focus on yourself
Trying not to think about your child leaving will only make dealing with it more difficult.
The day will come, after sending kids to college and you’ll ask yourself “Now what?”.
You’ll feel lost and overcoming that sadness will seem impossible.
Therefore, it’s essential that you start preparing for this big change even while your child is still in high school.
You should start focusing more on yourself, take up new hobbies, consider going back to work or even put some money aside for travelling.
When the moment finally comes, you won’t end up wondering how to fill that emptiness inside you.
You’ll have plenty of other things in your life that will help you deal with your empty nest.
Don’t neglect other relationships
After your child goes off to college, you shouldn’t just let depression and anxiety overwhelm you and forget about other people in your life.
In fact, focusing more on other relationships will soothe the pain you might feel.
This is an opportunity for you to work more on your marriage or possibly rekindle an old flame.
If you have other children, under no circumstances should you neglect the fact that they might be sad, as well.
Siblings may also feel an emptiness when their brother or sister leaves for college.
You should talk to them and explain how you feel the same.
You may also start some new family rituals that you’ll do together.
However, make sure to encourage your child who has gone to college to keep in touch with their younger siblings and be a part of their lives.
Stay in touch
Communicating with your child has never been easier, no matter how far they are.
Create a chat group for your entire family so that you can all share your experiences or schedule regular video calls.
It’s important that you stay involved in each other’s lives and communicating regularly will help you achieve that.
However, you shouldn’t call your child every few minutes or start to panic if they don’t answer their phones right away.
Remember that they’re discovering a new side of life and have more freedom for the first time in their lives, so they might not want to be interrupted every minute.
Find an appropriate accommodation option
One of parent’s greatest concerns is where their child is going to live during their studies.
It’s essential that you consider different options, such as living alone, sharing a flat with a roommate or living in a student dorm.
All of these options have both advantages and disadvantages, so you should take time to decide which is the right choice for your child.
You should find a safe place where your child will have all the student amenities, such as a laundry room or study area, as well as an affordable payment option, such as practical all-inclusive weekly fee offered by Iglu student accommodation.
This way, you’ll make sure that your freshman has everything they need and you’ll be able to relax instead of worrying night after night.
Get them prepared
Once your child goes to college, they won’t be able to rely on you to fix every problem that may occur.
By teaching your child some basic life skills and how to deal with some common household issues and preparing them for their independent life, you’ll be at ease because your child will know how to handle a certain problem.
From simple tasks like doing their laundry, to dealing with emergencies such as a plumbing issue, you should get them ready before they move away.
Sending kids to college is a major change for both children and parents.
Dealing with your empty nest will be challenging, but if you embrace the change, you’ll be able to overcome it.
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