Quick Tips for Parents

Trust that you have given your child the roots to grow and the wings to fly...

Remind your student that the door to your home is always open.

Even though your student is now in college, s/he still needs and wants your opinions.

It's normal for your own emotions to go up and down during this time.

Care packages that can be shared with friends are always appreciated.

If you bombard your student with questions when they call home, they might stop calling.

Remember that your child's siblings are also experiencing transitional feelings and may need you to understand what they're going through.

When your student comes home for a visit and is acting like an adult, treat him or her like an adult rather than the child who used to live in your home.

Remind yourself that if your student doesn't call home often, that might just mean that they're busy, not that they have forgotten about you.

Sometimes no news is good news.

Don't jump to rescue your student the minute they call saying they hate it here. A call the next week might be the complete opposite-they love it here and can't imagine being anywhere else.

Even if this is your second child going off to college, you may still go through all the emotions you faced the first time around.

Remember that you've worked hard raising your child to get to this point in her or his life. So, now would be a good time to give yourself some TLC as well.