6 Tips for “What Not To Do” When Your Kid Goes to College

collegeWhen my first born child went off to college last year, I must confess – I didn’t handle it well.

I was so excited for her, especially since she was attending me and my husband’s alma mater (Go Charlotte 49ers!) but I knew how much I would miss her and felt so sad that she wouldn’t be living at home anymore. I also was extremely anxious about her safety and well-being.

Since our focus this week is back-to-school, I wanted to offer some tips about what not to do when your child goes off to college. Avoiding these simple things can help us moms keep our stress at bay, and also avoid stressing out our kids.

Now trust me – I AM qualified to offer these “what not to do’s” —  because unfortunately, I did them all. But thankfully, I learned some important lessons that I hope to remember when the time comes for my other two kids to leave the nest. I’m sure they hope I remember them too. 🙂

If you are sending a child off to college this year for the first time, maybe these tips will help you avoid the stress that comes with this major life transition in your child’s life, and yours.

1. Don’t act like your child is leaving forever, and ever, and ever.

Last August, when we took my daughter to college, I made it through the whole dorm move-in day without shedding a tear. But when it came time for us to head back home, I felt like I was leaving my baby on a doorstep in a basket and walking away, and the tears started pouring! Then for the next few days, tears seemed to make their presence a lot.

Not necessarily sad tears, just tears due to mixed emotions and the reality of my child growing up and entering the young adult world  (Click here to read a post I wrote last year about this)  Plus I missed her terribly.  Then after about a week, my daughter Kaitlyn gave me a wake up call when she said “she didn’t die mom; she just went to college.”   She was just joking when she said it, and I laughed too, but it helped recognize that I needed to stop stressing out both of my daughters by being overly emotional, and begin trusting that God would take care of her and watch over her throughout the year – and He did. 🙂  She had a fabulous Freshman year and made us proud.

2. Don’t assume that your child is going to make the same mistakes you did in college.

This is a hard one. As moms, we want to protect our children and prevent them from getting into situations or making decisions that will negatively impact their faith, their lives or their futures. Since we probably all have some things we did in college or during our adolescent years that we regret, that knowledge fuels our desire to try to make sure our kids don’t do those same things. I know my mom wanted to protect me when I went off to college, yet the bad choices I made were my own.  I do want to protect my kids from making the same mistakes and have tried to teach them and mold them over the years, but as much as we want to protect our children, we have to let them make their own choices and mistakes, and sometimes even live with the consequences.

We can’t control what happens after our child leaves home, but we can continually pray for the Holy Spirit to be their guide and to convict their hearts when they are headed down the wrong path.  We can also trust that we have been the best moms we can be, guiding them to love the Lord, and faithfully entrust their future into God’s hands.

3. Don’t let their drama, be your drama.

Where ever you find girls, you find drama. But boys have their own styles of drama too.  Although it would be nice if the drama would end in college, it doesn’t. Kids will always be kids, and sometimes young adults will act like kids!  As moms, we are certainly not kids anymore,, yet it’s easy to get pulled into teenage drama, simply because we care about our children.  When people are mean to them, we feel bad for them. When professors are unfair or uncaring, we want to make a few phone calls. When situations occur, we want to get involved, seeking resolution. When our child is hurt, we want to mend their hearts.

But the good news is that the drama somehow always works itself out and our kids typically get over it and move on – usually before us moms are able to!  There were many days last year when my daughter would call me and be so upset about something that had happened. I would get so worked up about it on her behalf, and feel so bad for what she was going through (all the while feeling helpless) that it would ruin my whole day and make me feel stressed and anxious.  Then she would call me later and say everything was fine! While I was still stressing over the issue all day, she had forgotten about it!  So I’ve learned that it’s crucial for mom to be a safe sounding board and offer positive encouragement, but to try to avoid getting pulled too deep into the drama and the stress of college life.

 4. Don’t assume your college kid won’t act like a college kid.

I would like to think that my children would be the perfect college kids, focusing only on studies and preparing for their future. Spending hours in the library, getting A’s in every class, never staying out past midnight, or hanging out with people or in places that I may not approve of.  But let’s face it, that’s not reality!  Full time studying certainly wasn’t my sole focus when I first started college, and it’s not realistic to think our children’s will be that either.

Although my husband and I do expect our children to study hard, make good grades, give it their best and live with high morals and integrity, we can’t expect them to not never have fun, never stay out too late, or always make the best decisions.  Even kids raised in Christian homes can easily get pulled into the party scene or lose their way.  So it’s important to keep in touch with your child as much as is reasonable, and try to continually let them know your expectations, without sounding like a tyrant or expecting perfection.  The best thing we can do as parents is to make sure our kids know that they can call on us – for anything and everything, anytime night or day –  and that no matter what, we will love them and support them unconditionally, even we don’t support their choices.

5. Don’t stalk your child on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Vine.

I’m not saying I stalked Morgan online when she first started college (that would be weird, right?), but I admit I liked the fact that I could get an idea of her whereabouts and activities by looking at her social media. While at times that was good, other times it made me anxious. So I realized that instead of trying to watch her behind the scenes, I needed to ask God to help me let go of the control I once had over her safety and well being, and to trust that she will follow her instincts and be guided by her faith in all that she does.  She and I have a great relationship, and talked almost every day on the phone about friends, happenings, classes, worries, etc.   These ongoing conversations allowed for open and honest communication, and I learned that it’s better to keep the communication door open and trust her to do what’s right, rather than try to catch her doing something not right in my eyes.

6. Don’t forget that although your college kid is out of the house, they still need the comfort of home, and mom.

Just a few days after Morgan moved into her dorm room, she appeared in our kitchen – right at dinner time.  Her college is not far away which I am thankful for, and although she was happy to be out on her own and excited about college, she still needed the comfort of home, family – and some comfort food. And that made this mama’s heart smile bigtime. Remembering that our child will always need us and our love (and maybe our cooking) can soothe even the most stressed out heart.

 

So needless to say, I learned some hard lessons last year about wading through the college years of my children, and maybe you have too.  Or maybe you are just getting your feet wet this year.  But looking back, I know God was molding my heart, and my daughter’s heart, every step of the way. So every tear and learning experience was worth it.

Sending a child off to college, or just out on their own for the first time, is never easy on a mom. But since we all have to go through it, it’s in our best interest to commit to managing our stress and dealing with our emotions before they start affecting us and everyone around us.

The best recipe there is to feed the heart of a stressed-out mom sending her child off into the world – is a little bit of patience, a big dose of trust, and a heaping cup of faith.

If you have experience sending a child off to college, what tips do you have for moms who are embarking on this transition of life?

 

9 Comments

  1. Pam on Friday, August 9, 2013 at 10:08 am

    This year is much easier isn’t it? Although, I have to say when I saw my husband and son pull out of the driveway in the wee hours of the morning this morning college bound for our son’s sophomore year, there was a tear or two . . . okay, maybe a few. It’s still hard, but not quite as hard as last year. Right still isn’t easy, but I am so proud and excited for my son and all that God has for him this year.

    You’ve shared some great tips here in this post. I would say that the best thing I did when my son went away to college for the first time last year was listen and keep the lines of communication open. I tried to to give advice or direction unless asked and let him just talk it out. I can’t tell you how many times I bit my tongue and time after time he proved he was capable of making sound decisions. It was best I let him figure it out rather than continue to mother hover. I also allowed him to call me instead of me calling him constantly. Now, I know there are some that might not would ever call but for us allowing him to make that call was best. It seemed he was more willing to talk and share when I let him come to me.

    The first year of college can be such a beautiful time if you embrace it rather than resist it. After all, letting them fly is the moment we mamas have been preparing them for all along.

    Thank you for sharing this, Tracey. I’m sure there are many mothers out there who will so benefit from what you and the rest of us have learned : )



  2. tmiles on Friday, August 9, 2013 at 2:54 pm

    Very well said Pam and some great extra points! Thanks for sharing and commenting!



  3. Lisa on Friday, August 9, 2013 at 5:49 pm

    Great post and great advice! A young preacher friend gave me a piece of advice that was invaluable. He said no matter what our kids shared with us about their lives, DO NOT over react. If you overreact, they stop talking and the lines of communication shut down. This was excellent advice. Someone else told us to feed not only our kids but the friends of our kids when we went to visit. We either took enough food from home so they could invite friends or we loaded them in the car(s) or walked (college town) to a local restaurant. We still have relationships with these young adults who are now in their first jobs!!!



  4. Betty Wong on Monday, August 26, 2013 at 2:23 am

    Thanks for this devotion about sending your child off to college. We’re in Southern California sending our 1 & only child, daughter to Biola University (a Christian university) & are dealing w/ all those emotions you talked about. Thanks for sharing those tips & encouraging parents, especially moms to keep praying. I have been doing that & will continue to do so, especially since we have a difficult family situation w/ my husband not a Christian & not too favorable w/ my daughter’s decision to attend a Christian university (but I’m glad she made that choice. She had lots of drama (not so good choices) in a public high school & told me she wanted to attend a Christian college for her spiritual growth/development.



  5. Greg Adamson on Monday, March 17, 2014 at 4:08 pm

    My situation is slightly different but I’m headed in the same direction. My oldest daughter will leave for college on August 18 and classes will start Aug 20, 2014. Her mom and I live in Alabama and she’s going to Southerm Miss, which is 3 1/2 hrs away.

    My regret is that I did not spend time with her like I should have while she was growing up. Now I regret it. Now she’s going off to college in 5 months and I have the urge to make up for the missed time.

    I was always there at home, not off somewhere far away, but always doing something else like playing on the computer, watching TV or whatever. My daughter would come and ask me to play “dolls” with her but I would say I was too tired. I always had a reason.

    She and I have a wonderful relationship and always have. We jsut weren’t close like we should have been.

    My wife, on the otherhand, would go lay in bed with her at night at bedtime and do the same with our other two younger kids. Again I was always “tired” or “needed a break” and simply stayed in my easy chair.

    She and I have recently talked about spending valuable time together between now and August 18th. However she has a friend she spends time with a lot and is also very busy with other things.

    My hope is we get to spend time together like we’ve planned. Time will tell.



    • Sue on Friday, July 25, 2014 at 7:55 pm

      Greg…it’s never too late to spend time with our kids. I hope you are having a great summer making memories with you daughter.



  6. Meaghan on Thursday, September 11, 2014 at 7:25 pm

    We’re looking for parents with empty nest syndrome for a new docu-series! Are you in constant contact with your collegiate son or daughter via FB, Skype or Facetime?

    Apply today at http://www.screenlovecasting.com



  7. Cecilia Grossman on Sunday, September 28, 2014 at 8:49 pm

    I’ve been an empty nester for one full year. 
    My only child/daughter left for college, which is almost four hours away from home. I have always been a stay at home mom.
    So, I have a big empty spot in my heart with her gone.
    I have had several intense moments of worrying and missing her. 

    My best advice is to keep praying for them and encourage them as much as possible. It’s good to let them know you miss them, but with some restraint. After all, they have a lot on their plate. They shouldn’t be burdened by our moments of grief over them being gone.
    It’s good to think of the positives, too, like how the bathroom stays cleaner, longer! 🙂

    I like to send encouraging quotes or poems periodically and send short notes of what’s going on, and of course a reminder that she’s thought of and loved.
    I really try to keep it lite and give her the freedom to call or text when it’s convenient for her, even though I want to scream,”Call me, I miss you terribly!” 

    I’m really thankful for modern technology. Think of the days when our moms and grandmas had to wait by the phone and hope for a ring. 

    We have a lot to be thankful for, and we still have a lot to contribute, even when they leave.

    Cecilia, TX



  8. Cecilia+Grossman on Sunday, September 28, 2014 at 9:24 pm

    Greg, it’s so true, it’s not too late!
    Girls especially thrive on their Dad’s love and attention and showing interest in what we do.
    We may grow up, but we never grow tired of our Dad’s affirmation.
    I never had much of a relationship with my own dad. I would have taken anything I could get even as an adult.
    He passed away last January. I still look forward to having a relationship with him in heaven.

    Cecilia, TX



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Tracie Miles is a bestselling author and the Director of COMPEL Training with Proverbs 31 Ministries.  She helps women grow stronger in their faith, pursue the life of purpose God designed them for and live a life of peace, joy and happiness despite their circumstances.

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