Tuesday, May 24, 2016

Article: 9 Tips on How To Be a Good College Parent

9:05 AM    
The warm weather is finally here and your son/daughter may be excited to finally graduate high school and begin their last summer before leaving for college! Parents, too, may be happy for the upcoming summer but also know in the back of their minds that summer leads to the August 15th move-in day at Thames Academy. Thames Academy knows that parents are already planning for and anticipating move-in day. Besides the logistics of move-in day, parents have another transition to think about...what it will mean for you to take on your new role of "parent of a college student."

The Washington Post recently published a great article called "9 Tips on How To Be a Good College Parent." I particularly like Tips #2 and #8:

Tip #2 - Your lives will change

With your son/daughter at Thames Academy hopefully you will find that you have additional time and energy in your life that you previously did not have. Parents should reinvest time into themselves and reward themselves for raising a smart. hard working, funny son/daughter. You did an excellent job of taking care of your young adult for 18+ years. Now it is time to put some of that energy back into yourself! Discover an old hobby, try out a new skill/class, or spend more time with your spouse...you deserve it!

Tip #8 - Children in college don't become "college students" overnight

I like this tip because it reinforces a message that we say often at Thames Academy....the Thames Academy transitional year is a marathon not a sprint. As a parent of a child with a learning difference, you know this better than most. Change occurs at different speeds for each child. You may see positive growth and development in your son/daughter in the first 2 months of the fall semester. Other parents may see the development of independence later in the spring. Please don't judge or compare your young adult's progress to any other student at Thames Academy. Learning how to become a college student may take an entire year - Thames Academy staff are expecting this and we hope you will too!