Moving day can often be hectic, but it can also be an emotional one for college age children whore leaving home for the first time. Parents want to show their support, but their feelings of sadness with show no matter how hard they try not to. Although this is a difficult time for parents and children, it can also be a time of elation and celebration. If you have given your child the tools that they need to survive on their own without you, they will adhere to them and do just fine.
Keep an open line of communication
When you child is getting ready to leave for college, there are some steps to take to ensure that the two of you stay connected. By creating an open dialogue with your child, they will feel that you support them 100%. Talk with them about their transition from home to school, and set an initiative for open communication. Express your feelings and pride in their decision to make this step, and also include dialogue where they can express their fears if they have any. Give them confidence by being positive about their choice of moving to college.
Be involved in the planning
Help your child devise a college moving checklist to ensure that nothing gets forgotten and left behind. The two of you can be like a team while getting ready for this all important move. Help your child organize the move by suggesting a moving team or company, and help them to pack the boxes. Moving out to be on their own for the first time can be a little overwhelming for your child at first, so be ready to help with the food, the logistics, and if necessary, not being in the way until you are asked for help.
Pack a loving care package
Even children who are on the brink of adult likes getting surprises. Pack them a care package that contains all of the things they enjoy. Include non perishable food items, toiletries that they may forget, photos, and a roll of quarters for their laundry. this will help brighten up their first few days of college without their parents. You may want to also include a letter that will encourage them. They will keep this to read whenever they are feeling homesick.
Plan scheduled visits or calls
When your child gets ready to leave, sit down and make a schedule of visits and phone calls for the first month. You want to keep your distance so that the child can enjoy their independence, but you want to stay connected. Give them a couple of weeks before you start visiting, but you can call to make sure that the move went well, and that they are all settled in their dorm.
Moving your child off to college can be a time of mixed emotions, but having the right moving company will mean the difference in a good move and a not so good move. You want everything to go smoothly. Give your child plenty of space so that they begin to fly on their own, after all, they are considered adults now.
