Tag Archives: parenting

college planning, parenting

Are You a Mother or a Smotherer?

mother

If you are a mother of a college-bound teen, it’s easy to become a smotherer. After all, there are deadlines that need nagging. There are scholarships that must be applied to. There are battles to fight and recommendations to be secured. It’s impossible to expect your young teenager to handle these matters on their own. They need help. They have always needed help.

But, and I say this will all humility, it’s hard to let go and let them handle these things on their own.

Being a mother is one of the hardest jobs you will ever have. You want your teenager to become independent but you worry they never will. What if they fail? What if they forget to do something that’s important? What if they are hurt or rejected? It’s in our nature as mothers to fix things and help them avoid anything that would be painful. Some mothers have mastered this technique so well that their kids don’t have a clue how to deal with failure, disappointment, and pain.

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college prep, parenting

How to Motivate Your Student to Study

study

As your child gets older, they will have to learn how to take on more responsibility. They will have to learn how to get their homework done and they will also need to be able to rely on other students for support. How can you motivate your student to study?

As a parent, it is vital that you have an active role to play when it comes to your child’s studying, but at the same time, you should be trying to avoid forcing them to do it. If you do force them, then you may find that you end up demotivating them and this is the last thing you want.

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college housing, college planning, dorm life, parenting, surviving college

5 Ways to Prepare Your Teen for Living Away from Home

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prepare your teen

As teens grow into young adults, their horizons begin to expand. They begin to explore their interests more, make new friends, and think about leaving the nest. As they head to college, there are skills they will need even if they live in a dorm. If they live off campus, these skills will be even more valuable. It’s important to prepare your teen for independent living.

Here are five ways you can help your prepare your teen for living away from home.

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college majors, college planning, parenting

The Dreaded U-Turn: What Happens When Your Student Decides to Change Their Major

changes paths

It’s something that we hear so much, that we need to “follow our dreams.” But as parents, we may have fought hard for our children to get scholarships and have started on their college journey, but if they have turned to a different path, this could be a big shock to us. If they choose to change their major it could shock you.

But this may warrant a more important discussion. Do we encourage our children to follow their passions when they’ve worked so hard towards one path in college and suddenly changes paths? 

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college prep, parenting, summer programs

Prepare for College at Summer Camp

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summer camp

Most of us have experienced summer camp at one point in our life. We sang Kumbayah around the campfire, went on nature hikes, and played pranks on other campers. At the end of camp we went home with plenty of dirty laundry, arts and craft projects, and some new friends. Back in those days, the thought of going to summer camp to prepare for college was the last thing on our minds, or our parents’ minds for that matter. They shipped us off to camp to keep us occupied and enjoy some well-deserved time to themselves.

Times have certainly changed. Parents have recognized the need for college preparation; and they are now able to combine that preparation with a camp. That’s right–summer camp can now be more than dirty laundry and arts and crafts.

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admissions, graduation, orientation, parenting

From Acceptance to Graduation and Beyond

GRADUATION

The acceptance letters have arrived and your student is ready to make his final college decision and then move forward to graduation. Check the box–going to college! It’s a tremendous accomplishment for both students and their parents.

It’s not just your student who is graduating–you are too! You planned for years for your student to go to college and now he has been accepted. After years of planning it’s time to start a new chapter in your life as well. 

First things first–do some celebrating. You’ve earned it. It was a difficult task to raise a successful high school graduate and soon-to-be college student. Allow yourself some time to bask in the accomplishment. This is also time to flood him with showers of praise and words of encouragement. He’s worked hard for this and he needs to hear that you are proud of him. 

Once the celebration dust settles, to help you head into the next phase, we have some suggestions to assist with the transition.

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college guidance, college planning, college prep, parenting

Resolving Parent – Student Conflict During the College Process

parent-student conflict

When parents and students enter the college-bound process, issues arise. It’s the inevitable clash of what parents think is best for their kids, and what the kids want. Over the past 18 years the clashes have been over such things as food, friends and entertainment choices. As college approaches, the parent-student conflict intensifies.

Following are five areas that typically cause parent – student conflict along with some advice on how to handle it and work toward a compromise.

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college guidance, parenting, surviving college

6 Ways to Support Your College Student

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college student

Your college student is a unique creature. They are at once old enough to be considered adults but still young and inexperienced enough to make some pretty big mistakes. They are also incredibly idealistic, which can lead to them making even more mistakes as they try to pursue their dreams.

For all of these reasons, it is important for the people in their lives to offer them support. Here are six ways you can support your college student:

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college prep, parenting, senioritis, Uncategorized

How to Help Your Senior Fight Senioritis

senioritis

Senioritis is a disease contracted by most high school seniors. Its onset might be hard to recognize because it starts innocently. But once the disease has taken hold it can have a devastating effect on your senior’s future college aspirations. As with any disease, knowing the symptoms is the key to an early diagnosis and treatment.

All kidding aside, however, senioritis is a very real problem for most students, especially if they have already been accepted early decision or early action. They are coming into the home stretch and it’s only natural for them to try to rest on their laurels, so to speak. But every parent needs to be vigilant and act to stop it before it’s too late.

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admissions, college costs, college guidance, college planning, financial aid, parenting

Weighing Your College Options

college options

It’s that time of year when seniors will be weighing their college options. Choices will be made as parents and students evaluate colleges who offered admission.

The long wait is over and it’s time to make a decision. Which college will your student attend? This decision feels like the most important decision in his life up to this point and will weigh heavily on his mind and yours over the next month.

Before your teen makes the decision, however, you should weigh your college options. You would never purchase a home without determining its value, its fit for your family, or even its location. This college decision should be approached in the same manner. And to complicate matters, the decision has to be made in a timely manner—the National Candidate’s Reply Date is May 1st.

If your student didn’t get an offer of admission from his first or even second choice college, or he is accepted without enough financial aid, it’s time to re-evaluate the colleges on his list. Your teen should take a closer look at those schools on the list that weren’t on top. If he did his homework before applying, these schools should be more than sloppy seconds.

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