September 1, 2021

When it comes to children, life is full of moments that will bring tears to any parent’s eyes.

First steps, first day of school, first adult job, and every other first in a child’s life can be both a joyful and worrying time. 

Having been able to experience life and go through these moments themselves, parents know how to prepare themselves for these moments. They have the emotional maturity to properly handle these transitions in their children’s lives. Kids on the other hand may have a bit more difficulty in these times. They may not ask for it, but it is essential that parents are there to offer their children the love and support needed to overcome those first day jitters. This is especially the case for those transition years when it comes to school.

Eighth grade going into high school, eleventh grade going into twelfth, and even the first year of college can be extremely stressful to children. These are pivotal moments for them, and they need the guiding hand of their parents. The key words there were “guiding hand.” 

It is essential to remember not to be too overbearing. These are years in a child’s life where they have the chance to reinvent themselves and take responsibility. A parent looming over them every step of the way would only nullify their experience. It would cause even more stress in an already stressful situation and leave them clueless as to how to handle these same problems in the future without relying on their parents for everything.

The best way to prepare them for these years would be to slowly increase the amount of responsibilities that they have and teach them real life skills that they can use in these next stages of their lives. Going from eighth grade to high school, school becomes much more important than just grades. What they do in these next four years of their lives is vital for things like their future career and college. Teaching them proper study techniques, time management, and money management for example in these years would be very beneficial long-term. 

For eleventh graders heading into their final year of high school, now is the time to prepare them to leave the nest. All of the skills that were previously introduced should be fine tuned, and parents now need to prepare their children to potentially go off to college. This is the year to teach them about financial aid, scholarships, creating a monthly budget, and teaching them how to do miscellaneous tasks around the house that they have been neglecting. For the most part, a parent will not be on campus to cook and clean for their children. If they choose to go to school out of state, dad will not be there to fix every problem that arises with one’s car. The responsibility is up to the child now, and if given the opportunity to handle these problems under a parent’s watchful eye, they will know what to do when on their own.

It is all about preparing children for the next stage of their lives. Parents, even though it is so hard, cannot baby their children forever. As they grow up, they must be taught the responsibilities and life skills needed for this new stage. A parent knows their child best, so the varying skills and the timeline for each introduction of them will change from child to child. One thing is for certain, though. No matter how old they get or what stage of life they are in, they will always be our children.