By Nicole NW Harris, Program Coordinator
Health & Wellness/Religious & Spiritual Life
Student Wellbeing & Health Promotion
It is May and your child is returning home as a “college student on summer break”. You are excited to have them return to the nest, but anxious about having to maneuver within the changes of how they now navigate every day life. Having to integrate your returning “young adult” into your current home life is not as simple as pressing play, and continuing the relationship expectations you put on pause when they left in the fall.
To begin, have an idea of what your expectations are regarding curfew, use of the family vehicle, household chores, family engagement time, vaping and the use of alcohol and other drugs and financial contributions. Once you have identified your expectations, you are better prepared to negotiate with your returning young adult about what they will consistently adhere to.
Understand that your returning young adult will be in the midst of a transition from the pressures of school and finals to the comforts of home and will need “grace to grow” into a new routine. As your family works to mold itself into this new formation, take time to regularly sit down with your young adult to discuss expectations and acknowledge what is working while revisiting those that need adjustments.
While some young adults might return home and have a productive plan in place for the summer, some do not. Here are some suggestions to make and support, to keep your young adult moving forward:
- Develop some relevant skills – Encourage your young adult to talk to their employer about how to best hone their skills and if shadowing a senior employee or participating in training exercises is an option.
- Work with the Career Center – Suggest your young adult put time on their schedule to view the Career Center website to be informed of their online resources and virtual services. Suggest to them to make an appointment with a career counselor to discuss their summer employment opportunity and how to maximize its potential.
- Create a summer reading list – The list they create can be by author, major study, genre or simply interest driven. The goal is to read. Reading offers several benefits including self-reflection, enhanced analytical thinking, stress relief and improved concentration.
- Take a class – Summer classes are not for everyone but if they want to graduate early, they can investigate what their school has to offer in-person and virtually.
- Prepare for the Fall Term – Although summer break is a time to power down from the demands of school, encourage your young adult to schedule time to review sample syllabi of classes registered for and to connect with their academic advisor to review their graduation plan.
- Relish the Season – Encourage your young adult to use this time to travel, rest, spend time with family and do some of those things they are not able to do during the academic year.
As a parent to a college-aged young adult, do not be dismayed by the fact that the child you sent to college has returned as a person with developing opinions, ideas and habits that you are unfamiliar with. Take this time to reconnect and appreciate the growth of the developmental seeds you have sown.