Parents’ Guide to the Unexpected in College
These situations are called unexpected for a reason: they materialize seemingly out of thin air with absolutely no warning and are poised to wreak havoc on the otherwise flawless plan one has mapped out. While it’s hard to fathom every possible scenario that could play out, here are a few collegiate parents encounter.
Your child has been accepted to college – their first choice, no less! – but after a year of exemplary grades and a positive campus experience, they sit you down and reveal they’d like to take a year off. While your initial response may be one filled with four-letter words, keep listening because the reason behind their departure from school is probably not what you think.
Ah, young love! Though only 15 percent of people meet their future spouses in college, you should be prepared for your son or daughter to call you one day and invite you to meet their significant other. When you’re finally introduced to this special someone, however, they may not be exactly who you envisioned.
When your child starts attending college, they gain much more freedom than they had in high school and many take advantage of this increased autonomy to the fullest degree. They may dye their hair, grow goatees, pierce their tongues and begin quests to tattoo every square inch of their bodies because, as with relationships, college is a time for experimentation. Here’s what to do when your child comes home for winter break looking…different.
For years, you were probably your child’s go-to source for advice of every kind. That may still hold true to some degree when they leave for college but chances are, they would now rather go to a roommate or significant other for counsel. But when they come to you saying they have an issue your expertise can remedy, it’s hard not to dive right in and begin working your parental magic.
As children age, it becomes easier to think of them as friends rather than the six-year-old version of themselves you still have tucked inside your wallet. This mentality can be come problematic, however, when you’re paying for their tuition and they make a decision they know you would vehemently oppose. You can no longer revoke their allowance or send them to the time-out chair so what can you reasonably do? Disciplining a child is an already tricky topic but when that child is old enough to vote and join the military, the situation becomes even more convoluted.