College students, especially freshmen, may find it difficult at the beginning of their education sojourn. Hence, they need their parents’ help in many ways. This could be directing them to where they can ask to write my research paper or get economics homework help, or getting them a specialized helper on their economics policy assignment, etc.
Parents need to know the things expected of them to ensure they play their roles perfectly. Here, we look at ways parents help their wards get through the early years of college with their support and things they should avoid.
7 Ways You Can Support Your Child, As a College Student
The popular belief is that you don’t have much role to play when your child enters college. However, this isn’t a fact. As much as you want your child to be independent, certain duties are expected of you towards your child. They include:
1. Be Available to Listen
The college experience is usually strange to students at first. This strange feeling may last days, weeks, or even years for some. Hence, they constantly need someone they feel safe with to share their challenges, vent, or complain. As the great parent, you are, you need to be available most of the time to listen to these rants and calm them.
Being a safe spot for your child can be super helpful. The greatest feeling is knowing your loved ones truly love you and care. This is the exact message being attentive to their complaints brings. Offering a listening ear is the least you can do to support your child in college.
2. Don’t Just Listen, Advice!
The reason why they talk isn’t only because they want to be heard. They also need guidance. As a parent, you should be able to give your child useful tips to help them get through challenges easily.
It could be forming study groups, developing a great study habits, building good relationships with academic advisers or professors, time management tips, and others.
The type of advice depends on the challenges your child is facing. Irrespective of the challenge, it can’t be greater than your experience. Hence, always ensure you offer relevant advice.
3. Periodic Visitations
There’s a need to strike the perfect balance between not making your child feel neglected and not making him feel restricted. Hence, your visitations should be minimal, but ensure you’re always punctual on agreed visitation days. You must discuss with them on days you can visit and days you can’t.
It is equally important to ask if they’re fine with visitations. If your child chooses not to be visited, you can choose other alternatives for showing support. College students love to express their independence, and you should give them a chance to. However, do not make them feel abandoned.
4. Financial Aid/Support
This is another important role you have to play. Whether your child is at college under a sponsorship program, they have a paying side hustle, or there’s a sponsor, you have to offer your financial aid as little as possible.
This has a positive psychological effect on the child. It makes them realize they’re still your priority and bond you share is strong, and the love is pure. It is a way of incentivizing their efforts and urging them to do more.
5. Help them Look for Tutoring and Assignment Help Platforms
If your child prefers studying alone to studying in groups, specialized tutorials and assignment help platforms can greatly help the child. College students usually have truckloads of assignments with limited time to handle them.
This problem is made easier for them by online tutorials and assignment aid platforms. There are many kinds of these platforms, but only a few of them are reliable and trustworthy. Therefore, you should make a list on your child’s behalf to reduce exposure to scanners.
6. Show up!
Always show up for your wards when they need you. This could be attending their presentations if invited, being present at their shows, and cheering them on from close range if invited.
It’s important to free your schedule and ensure they can count on you most when there’s a need for that. Showing up is another simple act with great psychological effect. It helps you keep your child’s trust in you and love for you at an optimum level.
7. Be Their Motivation
The fact that your child doesn’t have to search far to draw inspiration or feel motivated is one of the best forms of support you can give. Ensure they can find assistance, peace, encouragement, and deep motivation from you.
This will spur them through whatever challenges, no matter how hard they may seem. At some point, everyone loses their will and drive to push on. However, constant motivation can be the propelling fuel to make them try again. This motivation is more effective when it comes from parents.
Wrong Approaches to Supporting College Students as a Parent
Certain things look like support or endeavor to bring the best out of your child, but they’re not. Most times, their effect is usually the opposite of what you desire. These things include:
High expectations
Placing too many expectations on your child causes unnecessary pressure. It is hard to perform efficiently under intense pressure, which is why most college students do not end up with good grades. Expectations may be how you expect your child to behave (speaking, dressing, specifying the type of association they should keep, etc.).
It could be in terms of academic performance or expecting them to find their way around situations without proper guidance. All these may seem like support or motivation, but they are far from it and would likely have a negative effect.
Treating them like kids
Understandably, you want the best for your child, and your actions are from a place of genuine concern. However, it’s high time you understood that they now have rights to their life and can make certain decisions themselves.
Your role is limited to listening, advising, and offering proper guidance. You should understand that your opinion may be good but not good for them. Hence, at this point, you shouldn’t be hell-bent on having the final say.
Buying the way out for them
Excessively relying on money and not making them solve some challenges themselves isn’t support. It could have negative effects in the long run.
An example of this is allowing your children to constantly buy homework on assignment help platforms.
Excessive Visitation
Visiting your child in college excessively isn’t support any longer. It is now more of distraction, restriction, and monitoring. It is important that parents know whether to draw the line to avoid consciously or unconsciously making this mistake.
Showing up is great; it is recommended. However, showing up excessively or unnecessarily isn’t the best approach. Your presence will become less appreciated, and it will feel more like a burden in the long run.
Final Words
College students do not have it all figured out, and they need some form of help. Parents are in the best position to provide them with this help without feeling indebted or vulnerable.
Parents can offer their support in numerous ways, from merely being attentive to providing financial aid, making periodic visits, and giving the best advice. However, some forms of support can end up having negative effects. Hence, there’s a need to discern the good from the bad and strike a balance.
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