Category — Your College Parent Role

This is the first part in a three part series about acting in a new role as a coach for your college student.

 As your child heads off to college you are probably experiencing many emotions.  That is not only natural, it is a good thing.  It means that you recognize the enormity of the step that your child is taking as he enters that first year of college.  Remember how it felt when he headed to kindergarten, or got behind the wheel of the car for the first time?  In many ways, this new phase is similar.

 It is important to remember that this is a new stage, not only for your child, but for you as well.  As the parent of a college freshman, your role is changing in significant ways.  We know that this is an important time of transition for our college student, but we’re often so busy focusing on our son or daughter that we forget that this is a transition for us as well. 

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Most colleges hold orientation sessions for incoming students - whether a day long event or an overnight during the summer, or an event held a few days before the semester starts in the fall.  However, many colleges now also offer orientations for the parents of those college students.  This may be a day long event or even an overnight event.  If your child’s college conducts an orientation for parents, you should definitely take advantage of it if possible.

Holding a special orientation for parents is recognition on the part of many colleges of the importance of your continued role in your student’s education.  Colleges hold these orientation sessions to help you learn more about how you can most productively help your student, and to help you learn more about the place where your son or daughter will be spending so much time.

Reasons why you should attend Parent Orientation

There are several important reasons to attend the Parent Orientation session offered by your child’s school.

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This is the second of two posts which consider your college student and what she may be experiencing in the transition to college; and what your new role may be in the college experience.

In our last post, we considered some characteristics of the new college student in your family.  In this post, let’s think a bit about your new role as a college parent.

This is a transitional time for everyone.

Your student is not the only one who is going through a transitional time.  Sometimes we become so focused on the changes that are occurring for our student, that we forget that changes will be occurring for us as well.  Or perhaps we are all too well aware of the changes that will be taking place in our lives, and we need to put things in perspective.

Remembering that this is a time of transition for everyone is helpful.  Because your student may be feeling stress as he heads off to college, he may try your patience.  Recognizing why this is happening helps.  It also may help to recognize that your patience may be a bit shorter than usual because you are stressed as well.  If this is your first child to go to college, you may be working hard to keep up with all of the necessary paperwork, and finances, and new terms, and necessary shopping and logistics. You may be wondering what life at home will be like without him there.   If this is your last child to go to college, you will definitely be facing some changes at home, and this can be both emotional and stressful.

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This is the first of two posts which consider your college student, what she may be experiencing in the transition to college, and what your new role may be in the college experience.

You may be here because you have a son or daughter in college now or about to enter college. This blog is designed to give you information, and food for thought, about the experience of being the parent of a college student.

It’s hard to know where to begin. But let’s begin in a general way by thinking about who this college student is, and what your role in this college experience might be.

This college student is the son or daughter you’ve raised.

First and foremost, this student headed off on this grand and scary adventure called college is the son or daughter you raised. Although it sometimes feels as though you may not know or understand his behavior, you’ve had many years to instill important values and teach life lessons. Your student will take to college with him the tool chest of lessons, experiences and values you’ve given him. Trust him. Trust the years you’ve spent with him.

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