Tips for Parents Preparing for a Child Graduating

It’s that time of the year. Graduation day is slowing approaching for thousands of seniors across the world.

The day that they have been going to school for the past 12 years is on the horizon.

Graduation Day!

What an exciting time in their life, right?

Think back to the time in your life when graduation day was near and the sky was the limit on the next steps in your life. So many options await for those soon-to-be graduates.

As parents, you know the importance of sharing with your graduating child a few tips to be aware of as they enter the world, a few helpful hints to steer them in the right directions and help make good choices.

Will they go to college? Maybe jump right in and start their career? Take a break and possibly travel the world for a while?

More than likely, there’s several thousand that will fall into each and every one of those categories. And why not? It is strongly encouraged that you consider talking to your son or daughter about their new journey in life after graduation and hopefully some of these tips will help guide you in the discussion.

FAILURE HAPPENS

We all can’t be good at everything.

Some days we rock at life, other days we barely scrape by.

It’s common for each and every one of us. No one is immune to this. Teaching your Senior this early will help them to overcome disappoint and frustration when they are out on their own in the “real world.” So let them know that failure happens, and that it’s ok. The key is how they handle picking themselves up when failures come.

DON’T PUT ALL YOUR EGGS IN ONE BASKET

Unless it’s Easter…then that’s a different story. You want all your eggs in that basket.

But in all reality, it’s important for your child to understand that life needs a bit of variety.

If they graduate high school and are suddenly walking through life without a plan because what they banked on 100% failed, then they’re lost before their journey even began.

Teach them that variety, when handled with caution, is a good thing and that they should allow themselves to find out what they like the best before deciding on just one venture or path in life.

SUPPORT THEM IF COLLEGE IS NOT FOR THEM

Too many parents put pressure on their child for attending college after high school.

College may be a hard pill to swallow for some teenagers who simply are not interested.

Maybe they have other goals and ambitions. Some will choose to join the military to serve our country. Others may want to just jump into the work force, and as parents you have to be supportive in their decisions after high school.

There are many successful people in life who did not attend college at all. College is not for everyone, and as parents you need to support their decisions of simply not wanting to attend. Maybe later in life, they will change their mind. It’s their decision to make.

EXPLAIN THAT THEIR HIGH SCHOOL FRIENDS MAY NOT BE THEIR COLLEGE, OR LATER IN LIFE, FRIENDS

This isn’t a fun concept to talk about or think about, but it’s true. When high school is over, everyone tends to go different ways.

Friendships that were made in high school may fizzle out as new friendships are made in different chapters of lives. It is sad at first, but usually the friendships that are cultivated in college or as young adults are the ones that last a lifetime.

CHANGING MAJORS IS OK IN COLLEGE

The pressure of attending college and picking their major right out of the gate is hard!

Let your Senior know that just because they choose a major that they THINK they may want, they can change it at a later point in time.

It takes a bit of the pressure off and it’s hard to decide what to do with the next 40 years of your life at 18. It’s a big decision, and one that can be changed as they grown and mature, as they find their place in life.

TEACH THEM TO BE SMART WITH THEIR MONEY

Going out every night may sound appealing, but they have to understand how to balance their money to make it last for the month.

How quickly a night out will eat up an entire week’s grocery money, right?

Teach them this soon, so they can understand the importance of a dollar. Money is hard to earn and easy to spend. It’s an important lesson to learn before they end up in a tough situation.

GIVE THEM THE COURAGE TO USE THE WORD “NO” WITH PEOPLE

They don’t have to say yes to anything that they don’t want to.

In a new world where they are out on their own, the pressures of fitting in and finding their place may be rearing its head…but it doesn’t have to.

Teach them to stand firm in their beliefs and their values and to say “no” when they want.

REMIND THEM THAT YOU, MOM OR DAD, ARE ONLY A PHONE CALL AWAY

Just because they are out on their own, doesn’t mean that they are on their own. It’s important for them to know that they can call their parents at any point in time, just to talk or for advice…

It makes a huge difference if they know that, and believe in that.

TELL THEM IT IS IMPORTANT TO ENJOY THE JOURNEY OF LIFE

Stepping out on their own is an awesome time!

While there are so many things to look out for, there are so many things to look forward to as well.

Teach them to embrace life’s ups and downs with open arms! That’s where memories are made.

YOU NEED TO REMEMBER THEY ARE STEPPING INTO THE REAL WORLD…

Graduating high school is a time in their life that they are leaving their parents homes and stepping out into the real world on their own truly for the first time.

Talk about an exciting and overwhelming time!

As adults, we’ve all been there.

We know the peaks and valleys of emotions that await the graduating Seniors as they enter the next phase in their life, and to be honest, it’s an amazing and adventurous ride.

Teaching your graduating Senior about the way of the world can be a challenging time. There are so many things to teach and choose from when wanting to prepare them! Be selective to not overload them and be supportive if they have questions.