Teach your Teen this before College

As a parent, you feel committed to provide for your child, no matter what age or stage of life they are in.

It’s important to keep in mind everyone needs to learn the invaluable lesson of grit.

In today’s society, it’s easy to jump in, solve your student’s problems when they feel uncomfortable.

The journey of life is never linear. You will want your teen to experience success through the college admissions process, throughout college, and in their adult life. Work with them to learn what it takes to have grit and to persevere when life brings challenges.

Growth never takes place when we feel comfortable. You need to feel the different emotions during a challenging time to get to a better place.

  1. Inner Voice starts with the Parents Voice: Stay calm and reassure them that you have confidence in them.

    When an experience seems hard and they show emotions of feeling insecure, depressed or lack the confidence to see the experience through, they look to their parent(s) to reinforce their belief in themselves. Their inner voice, starts with how their parents speak to them.

  2. Calm Supportive Voice: Encourage them to continue through the feeling of being uncomfortable. Show them that you believe in them. Don’t nag or raise your voice. A calm supportive voice will succeed.

  3. Stay supportive but not take over: In order to help your teen handle and persist through setbacks, don’t abandon them and stay supportive through it all. Persistence will show them what grit truly is and that will empower them and strengthen their inner voice.

4. Meet them where they are: Life does not end after they are admitted to college. Our society acts that way. Once they start school, a host of new challenges await them. Take life one step at a time. The life of a high schooler is busy, they can’t get too far ahead of themselves. Meet them where they are.

This is how their inner voice will be re-wired to hear a supportive, encouraging voice that calmly tells themself that they can do whatever challenge is in front of them. By showing your teen what grit is, they too will develop grit.