Next year, my daughter leaves for college. I’m sad and excited about this next stage in my parenting journey. When she leaves, I want to know that I’ve done the best to prepare her for the “big world” outside our home, and I want to make sure I’m prepared for the next phase of my life journey – life with kids in college and beyond. With this in mind, I’ve done some things to intentionally prepare me for this next step, and I hope these thoughts will give you some ideas for purposefully planning this next step in your journey.
5 Tips of Purposeful Preparation in the Year Before Your Child Goes to College
1. Have a regular Date Night with your spouse. Jon and I have developed a date night on Mondays that has been pretty consistent since our kids were in middle school. It doesn’t always have to be something elaborate, just an opportunity for us to connect and keep the romance going during this busy time. We also see it for our next stage of life.
2. Be intentional about time with your kid. Take each of them out separately as much as you can. Food always works for teenagers. Hannah also likes to hit the thrift stores, and Isaac likes to play tennis.
3. Find your own grove. If you’re a mom at home start seeking out what other friends affirm you for. Volunteer! Do something you’ve always wanted to do. Did you have dreams from younger years you want to pursue?
4. Record the year-take lots of pics, video it, write things down in a journal that you can look back on later. I want to keep up with our family scrapbook this year.
5. Hang out with your girlfriends. As you move into this new stage of life your girlfriends are going to be really important. Pursue these relationships with intention.
