Moving to a new city, new friends, leaving behind an old life is super difficult but is almost like a right of passage for some kids. With so much change going on you as the parent are probably stressed out, ready to pull your hair out and have so many worries when it comes to your child transitioning to college life. Even if they aren’t moving city, the prospect of your child transitioning to the ‘real world’ where they are in a new place, new responsibilities and new people can be scary.
Accommodation Options
To help your child settle into College life you have to check out accommodation options. You can either use the in-college accommodation or look for something close by with a little more flexibility on space. If you go for in-college accommodation, your child will likely also need to choose between serviced (where commercial cleaning services in Toronto, ON, or elsewhere, will come in once a week and clean the communal spaces and food may be provided) and non-serviced accommodation (where they will have to do all the cleaning and cooking themselves). Talk to your child to figure out what works best for them; they will probably want to go into some form of college accommodation to get a real feel for it. Budgeting for rent is one of the biggest things you have to deal with as a parent if your child isn’t working while they are at college, but if you can encourage them to get some bar work or something like that (not just for cash) then they can also learn some really good social skills while they study and most importantly, how not to act when you’re out.
Plan
Make a checklist of everything they’ll need for their room, every book they need for their studies, all the food they’ll need to eat and start ticking it off. Bedding, towels, toiletries, kitchen stuff too depending on what the college offers.
Saying Goodbye
The hardest part – saying goodbye when you drop them off at college! You have to be strong, be that powerful mom you’ve always been in this moment, show your child that you care and that you’ll always be there, but encourage them to grow into the best person they can be and send them on their way. Sometimes they’ll want to be independent and unpack themselves, sometimes they’ll want you there to help, and at the end of it you have to drive back with an empty car which can be super hard. Remember, it’s not forever, if they’re in the same city you can meet up for food weekly, if they’re in a new city then it’s time to get that shopping spree in a new city ticked off the bucket list!
At the end of the day it’s just another step on a long road in the journey of life, I promise you that it isn’t mega hard, and your kids will move back in when college is over so take some time for you and your husband, enjoy the peace for a while!
2 Comments