You’ve brushed their teeth, fed them their veg and prayed a hole in the sky over the leaving cert results, and now the time has come and you’re sending them off to college. Exciting times?Scary?Emotional? While you may have helped find accommodation and packed their bags, were you silently screaming; “I’ve changed my mind, stay at home with me!!!!”??
Well you wouldn’t be alone! Up until last month this was your little baby, who lived in your home, ate your dinners and lived (by and large!) by your rules and now suddenly they are out in the open, vulnerable and isolated??? Ok a little well -grounded worry is reasonable, but since you cannot sit next to them in their lectures or move in to their new flat, here are a few tips to help you cope and may even prevent you from stealing into their new apartment in the dark of the night and kidnapping your child back home again. Or worse, doing their laundry and cleaning the kitchen!
1. Trust that you have done a good job. As Mum and Dad, you have been preparing them for this since they were born. Every time you made your child wait their turn or say please and thank you, you were preparing them for this. You were teaching them how to behave, how to earn and how to show respect.
2. Every time you made them explain their actions or speak their mind, you were preparing them for this. You were teaching them to challenge own their own thoughts or behaviours and those of others. And to be true to themselves
3. When you pushed them out of bed on cold, wet, dark November mornings, you were preparing them for this. Just because you don’t want to doesn’t mean you don’t have to. A balanced life needs a healthy balance between things we have to do and things we want to do.
4. Every time you picked them up when they fell down, sat them back on their bike or asked them to forgive their friend/brother/sister you prepared them for this. Failure is not important, what you learn from it is.
5. Every time you told them you loved them, you were preparing them for this. You were letting them know they always have a safe place to go to, when the world gets a bit scary, complicated or lonely they always have you.
6. Also feel free to call as often as you like, secretly they do really want to you!)
If you feel you are not coping to well with this big change in your life feel free to call me for an appointment in confidence in 087 709 74 77 or contact me via my website on www.limerick-counselling.ie
Explore more about Therapy Limerick
Well you wouldn’t be alone! Up until last month this was your little baby, who lived in your home, ate your dinners and lived (by and large!) by your rules and now suddenly they are out in the open, vulnerable and isolated??? Ok a little well -grounded worry is reasonable, but since you cannot sit next to them in their lectures or move in to their new flat, here are a few tips to help you cope and may even prevent you from stealing into their new apartment in the dark of the night and kidnapping your child back home again. Or worse, doing their laundry and cleaning the kitchen!
1. Trust that you have done a good job. As Mum and Dad, you have been preparing them for this since they were born. Every time you made your child wait their turn or say please and thank you, you were preparing them for this. You were teaching them how to behave, how to earn and how to show respect.
2. Every time you made them explain their actions or speak their mind, you were preparing them for this. You were teaching them to challenge own their own thoughts or behaviours and those of others. And to be true to themselves
3. When you pushed them out of bed on cold, wet, dark November mornings, you were preparing them for this. Just because you don’t want to doesn’t mean you don’t have to. A balanced life needs a healthy balance between things we have to do and things we want to do.
4. Every time you picked them up when they fell down, sat them back on their bike or asked them to forgive their friend/brother/sister you prepared them for this. Failure is not important, what you learn from it is.
5. Every time you told them you loved them, you were preparing them for this. You were letting them know they always have a safe place to go to, when the world gets a bit scary, complicated or lonely they always have you.
6. Also feel free to call as often as you like, secretly they do really want to you!)
If you feel you are not coping to well with this big change in your life feel free to call me for an appointment in confidence in 087 709 74 77 or contact me via my website on www.limerick-counselling.ie
Explore more about Therapy Limerick
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