Some of the latest figures show that over a quarter of students have back-to-school anxiety issues. With the school year just starting, it could be worse right now. From making a morning routine to celebrating the little wins, here are some practical ways you can beat the stress of it all.
Continue reading Helping Your Student With Back-to-School Anxiety
It’s always important to find ways of educating your child outside of the classroom. Why? Well, there are often some things that aren’t covered in the classroom and it’s also a case that when your child is one of many in a classroom, they might not always get that 1-2-1 attention you feel they deserve.
That’s why it’s useful to do what you can as a parent to provide them with as many opportunities for educational resources as possible.
Here are some top tips to educate your children at home in 2023.
Continue reading Top Tips for Educating Your Child
As your student makes the transition from high school to college, he enters a very different world. This is a world of freedom, but also responsibility. For the parents, it’s often the reality of an empty nest and the realization that their student is taking a huge step toward adulthood. This transition period offers its own set of challenges for parents, students and their families.
Continue reading The Transition from High School to College
Once your child decides they want to move cross-country for college, a mix of emotions arise: pride, dread, excitement – perhaps even the urge for something strong like coffee (or maybe stronger!). Don’t fret though; we are here to help guide this new chapter with ease and possibly even bring smiles or laughter along the way!
Continue reading Parent Survival Guide for Cross-Country College Moves
If you have a college-bound student, how do you help them will college prep while letting them own the process? What is the parent’s role?
With all the talk of helicopter parenting, over parenting, and parents refusing to allow their students to become independent adults, it’s important to understand how to coach your teenager without crossing the line.
An article in Forbes magazine quoted a study conducted by Florida State University focusing on some of the issues with today’s parenting:
Helicopter parents are “overly involved, protective parents who provide substantial support (e.g., financial, emotional, physical health advice) to their emerging adult children, often intervening in their affairs and making decisions for them.
Individuals with parents who engage in highly controlling, overprotective behaviors have been characterized as being overly needy in terms of seeking attention, approval and direction from others,” the authors wrote in summarizing past research. “In addition, they have been found to utilize more ineffective coping skills, express higher levels of narcissism and demonstrate lower self-efficacy.
In contrast…
“Developmentally appropriate parenting can promote healthy decision-making and a child’s development of autonomy, increasing the likelihood that their children will become independent, well-adjusted, problem-solving adults. They tend to cope better with stress, have more self-esteem and experience less depression.”
Knowing this…
Graduation is upon us and that means the future (college future) for many, lies ahead. While it’s tempting to take the summer off, and you want to spend as much time with your future college student as possible,
Preparing for a semester is a key part to ensure academic success!
College students find themselves juggling classes, homework, work, parties, clubs, organizations, dates, volunteering, and everything in between. With only 24 hours in the day, and only one mind to juggle it all, this can be a lot to manage.
Continue reading Summer To-Do List for New College Parents
May Decision Day has come and gone. Students have made those final decisions and committed to college in the fall. After all the stress of senior year and some of the conflict that arose within families, you can rest easy the hard work is done and it’s smooth sailing ahead.
But is it? Your student and you have worked hard for this day and you should certainly enjoy the accomplishment. Your student did the work and was accepted to college. You did the work and prepared your student for that next phase in their life: adulthood. You have been planning for this day ever since they entered high school. You looked forward to the day when they would finally leave your nest and go out on their own. But you probably weren’t expecting so many mixed feelings.
Continue reading The Joy and Angst of Decision Day
The term “helicopter parenting” can feel disparaging at first, after all, is it really a flaw to be active in your child’s education, to take an interest in their wellbeing at school, and to be involved in their development? Of course not. However, of course, constant hovering over your children, stifling independence and decision-making, and perhaps becoming too involved in the autonomy of your teacher’s guidance can be a problem.
Now, we’re not accusing you of this at all. Most parents strike a healthy balance, and being a little too interested is certainly miles better than being too uninvolved or uncaring.
However, if you’re concerned, then it’s nice to know where the parameters are. In this post, we’re not going to tell you how much you can be involved in your own child’s education, or where to step away, or how to relate to your child’s school experience. That would be much too presumptuous.
Instead, we’ll discuss some awesome measures new parents can take when supporting their children’s schooling and development:
Continue reading Finding the Parenting Balance
High school graduation is approaching for seniors; and some tearful goodbyes may be approaching for their parents. Your emotions will transition from pride for their accomplishments to dread and sadness as they move on to the next phase of their lives.
Letting go is never easy. But if you’ve done your job, your student is ready to move to the next phase of their life, which means living independently.
Continue reading High School Graduation: Letting Go Without Holding On
As a parent, you most certainly think about your child’s future and so often college prep is a part of that future. You may see them as an engineer, a teacher, or a doctor. You may picture them at your alma mater, or being the first in your family to attend college. Maybe you just hope they find a passion and pursue it. Whatever you hope, you want what is best for your child and to support them in achieving their goals.
College prep is a team effort. While the student leads the team and is ultimately the one who makes the final decision, parents can participate. This is an overwhelming process to handle alone and parents can ease some of the tremendous stress and burden.
Continue reading 10 Ways Parents Can Help With College Prep