The transition into adulthood can be challenging for many young adults. If you are parenting a young adult who you think will or is struggling with the transition, that is ok. There are many ways that you can support them and help them to succeed. Programs at Northwest College Support can provide support and guidance for both you and your student. However, it is normal to wonder how long you need to support them, and what kind of support is helpful in their process to learn the necessary skills to eventually live more independently.
Challenges in the Transition Into Adulthood
When young adults transition out of high school, many will head towards college while others will choose other paths. Regardless of the direction they choose to go in, this period can be very challenging for your student. Research indicates that college freshmen have higher stress levels that are often associated with a lack of sleep, poor mental health, and poor self-care practices.
Challenges during the transition into adulthood will vary, and your student may have unique difficulties. However, the additional stress of the many changes and growing responsibility in their lives can make any underlying difficulties more pronounced. For example, if your student struggled with mental health in high school, the stress of going to college or working full time may influence their mental health.
Supporting Your Student in the Transition Into Adulthood
Fortunately, there are many ways that you can support your student during this period and help your student to be more successful in college. Additionally, supporting your student for 9-12 months during this transition can make a big impact on their lives. During these 9-12 months, your student can learn skills that will help them to manage themselves, care for their needs, and create healthy relationships. However, without support, your student may not be able to learn these skills.
You may wonder if support for 9-12 months is necessary, and if so, you are not alone. The length of support that you provide is important because it takes 9-12 months for your student to both learn the new skills and feel confident in their ability to use them. In order for them to learn the skills, you can help in several ways. This includes providing comfort, freedom, and skills.
Comfort
Moving away from home is often very stressful. For example, if your student is going to college, they will have many new experiences. These range from where they live, their schedule, the type of classes they are taking, and more. As a result, your student will likely feel stressed and potentially struggle.
However, as a parent, you have a special bond with your student. Therefore, you are in a position to provide comfort and care for your student. This might look like listening to their challenges on the phone. However, it might also mean providing comfort by visiting them. Regardless of how you choose to comfort them, it can help them to get through the tough moments they are experiencing.
Freedom
When your student transitions into adulthood, they will have significantly more freedom. This freedom has two sides to it. While your student may enjoy it, it can also create difficulties. For example, more freedom means that they need to manage their schedule and care for their health.
As a parent, you do not want your young adult to struggle. However, they do need a certain amount of freedom for them to really learn. Allowing them to make mistakes and explore their freedom is important; you can provide support and comfort without taking the reins.
Skills
Learning life skills is very important for your young adult. When they learn skills like self-care, emotional management, and communication, they are more likely to be successful both in college and after. However, learning these skills takes time, support, and structure. The programs at Northwest College Support provide coaching for both you and your student to better understand what this process involves and how they can successfully improve their life skills.
However, as a parent, you are in a position to help your student learn these skills. This is especially important over the first 9-12 months of their transition into adulthood. Helping them learn life skills will be unique to your student's needs. However, it might include checking on how a skill they are practicing. For example, if you know they are working on building an exercise routine, you can help by asking about how it is going. Additionally, if they ask, you might even provide suggestions that help them to make changes.
If you are not sure how to support or improve your student's life skills, that is ok. Working with a program that helps them improve these skills is a great option. The ultimate goal is for your young adult to have the support and structure they need for at least 9-12 months so that they can truly learn and integrate these skills into their life.
When you are parenting a young adult who is struggling to transition into adulthood, it is normal to wonder how much support they really need to be successful. Young adults need 9-12 months of support to create changes in their lives that will last. At Northwest College Support, we understand that change takes time. As a result, our programs are built to help facilitate this change, so that your student can slowly learn new skills that will make a big difference in their life. If you are worried about how your young adult will do, or you have a student struggling with the transition into adulthood, we can help. Call (877) 485-2776 today to learn more.
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