For some parents, kids leaving for college may be a very difficult and emotional experience. College is the time when your kids will venture out into the real world and become their own person. While we may want our kids to stay with us forever, it would be rather selfish of us as parents. If you are among those parents who have kids enrolled in a college, like American International College, who will soon move out, here are some useful tips on how you can prepare yourself:
Plan for Your Child’s Departure
Parents who can accept the reality that their children will move on with their lives early on are the ones who can cope best. If you know that your child will soon go to college, it is wise to shift the focus from your child towards yourself. However, it’s important to maintain balance. While you find activities that you can do while your child is away, you would also want to ensure that you can spend quality time with your child before leaving college. Of course, initial sadness will still be there, but if you have other tasks to focus your energy on, it will be a lot easier for you to get your life back on track.
Acknowledge Your Sadness
Feelings of emptiness are expected when you have a college-bound child. You may usually find yourself in their room and looking at your child’s things. You have to understand that your child is focusing on their life. As such, you must learn how to acknowledge your feelings and emotions and start picking up your life. If you have other kids, you can focus your energy on taking care of them. You may also enroll them in new activities to make you productive. Only one of your children left for college, and you still have other kids that you should take care of. While your mind may be adrift to your college child, you also have to think about what you have at present.
Focus On Your Marriage
For some married couples, kids have become the center of their lives and sharing a home together with only the two of them can be a new experience. When the last of your kids have gone to college, you may use this time to focus on your marriage. For some, there may be a need to get to know their partners a little bit more. The years spent taking care of the kids can often send couples in different zones in their lives that there exists a need to reacquaint with each other. Do activities that you used to enjoy when it was just the two of you. You may also explore other activities that you have wanted to try but cannot because of the kids.
Foster Other Relationships
Parents can be too focused on taking care of their children that they often forget that they have a life other than their children. Even before your child leaves for college, it pays to foster relationships that you can turn to for support. If you’ve been missing out on your friend’s dinner date, you can start joining them again and getting on the loop. It can significantly help you ease some of your worries and feelings of emptiness.
Parents sometimes wish their children will remain young forever. However, it is not a reality that everyone can experience. Our children will grow up, move on, and leave us to build their own lives. Our role is to prepare them to face the future.