As a parent, you may find it difficult when your child goes off to college. There is nothing wrong with that. Many parents find themselves in this situation. College is a big step for everyone in life and it’s great that you recognize the issue. Going off to college is a similar feeling to the first day of kindergarten or even high school. It’s just on a bigger scale.
College is a new way of life for both sides, parents and students. It’s a big change for students and there’s a lot of emphasis placed on the student adjusting to the college lifestyle. We overlook that parents need to adjust as well. It’s not always easy for the parent to send their child off to college. How the parent responds can be a huge impact on how the student adapts to their new lifestyle.
The biggest change is the students living on their own. They won’t have mom or dad to remind them to do their homework or clean their room or make the student’s food. All that lies within the responsibilities of the student. Now, the parent can choose to help influence the student’s lifestyle once he/she is away. You can act like a sideline coach to help push them in the right direction.
In sports, the coach is always on the sidelines directing players to the ultimate goal: to win. The coach can’t play for them, that lies with the players. Your role as college parent will be similar to this. You need to be able to “coach” the student to adjust, just as a coach wills his players to victory. The most important thing for a parent is to trust their student. They need to believe that their student can make the commitments to adapt to college life.
The coach’s role is not on the field but his present is essential on the sidelines. The coach acts as a guide, telling players what to do and to make any adjustments when something is wrong. They encourage when the players succeeds and teach them a lesson when they fall short.
Coaches play a huge role in every athlete. Even the professional athletes need their coaches to help guide them along the way. Coaches don’t have a physical presence during games, but they can influence the outcome in many ways. This role of a coach is important in the student/parent relationship during college. Your student may or may not have problems adjusting to college. As long as they have their “coach” to guide them, it can go a long way.