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Letting Grow is about exactly that, letting them grow. 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 a deeper level, it is about how you, as parents and as a family, decide how you are going to handle this new stage of life.  To be honest, I would say as parents and family members, we have been letting go for a long time.  I’m blessed to be a mom myself, and I have been thinking a lot on the topic of letting grow as I will be transitioning to a new phase as a mom and as a family. I will watch my daughter start high school in 20 days, 480 hours or 28,800 minutes, not that I’m counting.  This summer, I’ve started to reflect on letting grow in a whole new way. I found myself thinking of all the times that, as a mother, I had already let my kids go.  The first time I had let go was dropping them off at child care, tightly bundled and overdressed. From there, I let go of hands to start first steps, I let go of the back of the bicycle as they peddled away, then it was off to school and letting them go off to kindergarten, where I cried more as they walked away than they did. Now I’m in the stages of summer camps and high school, which will include late night dances, maybe pep rallies and football games, and learning to drive! Before I know it, I’ll be you and letting go one more time.

Your student 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.

Take a deep breath and try to be open to whatever comes next in this new stage of life.

Please remember that college students are our business. We do this all the time, year after year. Believe it or not, your Zag will not be the first homesick 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 iPhone 8, a 6 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.

With all that being said, we believe establishing this relationship with parents and family members is an important component of a successful college experience for Zag students. We want to establish a collaborative spirit between you and the University for the common goal of helping your student develop and succeed. We value you as a partner in your student’s educational process.

 

Some things to remember

Do: Establish when and how often you’ll communicate with your Zag. Some students call home often. Others don’t. Understanding student and parental expectations about the kind of contact that will be maintained is important. Have a discussion about what each family member needs, as a minimum, and wants, as a maximum, of contact. Also discuss ideal conditions – times of day, days of the week that respect each person’s sleep habits, study needs, work schedules, etc.

Do: Understand your student will have homesickness. Missing family, friends, pets and old routines is normal. Ask how you can support them, and let them know you are missing them and of course send a care package or some love from home.  

Do: Enjoy your time at Gonzaga during move in and ZagFam Weekend, make the most out of this amazing opportunity.

 

This is the beginning of an exciting time, and we are honored that your student has chosen Gonzaga as their home for the next few years!

 

One Comment

  1. Kelli Hogarty

    Thank you for the reminder. Next year all my kids will be in college and I am grateful and blessed that one is attending GU. Because I am a mom I want to fix things, protect and basically love them to much. This has reminded me not to rob them of their learning experience and that it is their path their journey. For our family we will all be growing and what a great gift that is! Peace and blessings to all parents and students as a new adventure, school year begins. With gratitude, Kelli Hogarty