Letting Go

By: Amy Swank

Letting Go is about exactly that, letting go. At the least, it is about letting go of your child as they go off to college and honestly begin their adventure of self discovery and development. At the deeper level, it is about how you as parents, you as a family, decide how you are going to handle this new stage of life.

Your son or daughter will be doing something they have wanted to do for a long time. Remember, while this pent-up anticipation is now going to be achieved, they have no experience with it.

At the same time, you as a parent/family may have no, or little experience with this process as well.

Please remember that college students are our business. We do this all the time, year after year. Believe it or not, your child will not be the first home sick college student on the planet. Your child will not be the first to suffer through an entire day with a broken hair straightener. And even though EVERYONE else has an I-phone 5, a 4s will work just fine.

Talk with them. Tell them of your excitement, your sadness, your fears. Let them know they will be missed. At the same time, let them know they will be making more decisions now. This is their college education and they need to take responsibility for that. You as a family, and we as professionals are here to guide them through the maze of experiences that college offers. But remember, it is their growth we are focused upon and we are helping them to learn how to solve the issues presented to them on their own.