As a parent, watching your student struggle and learn to take responsibility for themselves is challenging. It is normal to want to hold tight and help them through this time of change. However, letting go and giving them freedom will help them to grow and truly take responsibility for themselves. While your student is struggling, getting support as a parent through parent coaching can help.
One of the biggest challenges in parenting an adolescent is the continual need for adapting. Your teen is going through a huge transition in their life emotionally and physically. This in part is due to age and physical changes. However, the additional changes in lifestyle by moving toward college add to the difficulty. As a parent, you need to continue to shift and adjust to where your teen is emotionally and mentally to help them develop for long-term success. Through parental coaching, you can learn to better care for yourself and your student, helping their long-term success.
The Need for Freedom in Your Student's Long-Term Success
Transitioning into adulthood requires that adolescents learn how to care for their needs and move towards living independently. Often, students will naturally make changes to move towards autonomy. As a parent, this is naturally difficult as you are used to being their support and system for structure in their lives.
An article published in 2018 in Current Opinion in Psychology provides insight into this balance of parenting your student. They explain that parents need to strike a balance between supporting their adolescents and encouraging them in making autonomous decisions. By letting go and encouraging your student to make decisions on their own, you are helping them learn and practice how to be independent.
When considering your student's need for freedom, it is helpful to remember that while they need freedom, they also need support. Whether they are receiving direct support from you or a trusted program, they must have both freedom and a place where they can go for help. Learning to live life independently takes time. Your student can get there, and you can help them learn the necessary skills by encouraging and allowing them to make autonomous decisions.
How Parent Coaching Can Help Your Student Thrive
As a parent, you have helped your student grow up and are an expert on them. However, your student is always changing. Therefore, their needs will also change. Certain steps that you can take to help them may, at first glance, seem counterintuitive. Providing freedom for example can feel like it is unsafe and uncomfortable. This is where parent coaching comes in. By working with a coach, you can receive support and learn new parenting skills.
Parenting an adolescent is often stressful; their changing moods, needs, and sensitivities can take their toll. This is especially true of adolescents who struggle with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, executive functioning difficulties, or mental health disorders. In certain moments, understanding how you can support your student to help them in their long-term success can seem impossible. Parent coaching provides you with the support you need to help manage your feelings and talk through the difficulties you are having. Therefore, it can help you and your student to thrive.
One piece of the stress of parenting an adolescent, particularly with some of the difficulties listed above, is knowing what to do. Parent coaching helps you to manage stress by learning new skills in how to adjust your parenting. This can include learning how you can support your student from afar or keep them safe while still maintaining their autonomy.
These skills are not easy. Similar to how your student must learn and practice new skills to succeed as an independent adult. As a parent, you need to hone your abilities in helping them. Parent coaching offers the unique opportunity of working with a professional who understands what skills will help your student at this time. In parent coaching, you may learn and practice some of the skills below:
Improved understanding of adolescent development
How to support your student while they try new things
Giving space and support for making mistakes and learning new skills
Parenting your ASD student as a young adult
Supporting your ADHD student in their transition to college
Helping your student heal from mental health disorders
Having difficult conversations with your student
Supporting your student to heal from an eating disorder
Parent coaching is not one-size-fits-all. The skills are individualized to help solve problems that are impacting both you and your student. Therefore, it can help you feel confident that you are setting your teen up for success. As a parent, finding help can be challenging. Remember that partaking in parent coaching doesn't mean you do not know your student. It means that you want to improve and learn about how you can support them in their journey to becoming independent adults.
As a parent of an adolescent, you have to utilize many skills to support your student. One of the many challenges is stepping back and watching your students struggle. However, allowing your student to take responsibility and become independent is a necessary step. At Northwest College Support, we offer programs and support for both students and parents. We specialize in working with adolescents who have difficulty transitioning into living as independent adults. Our programs offer support for parents through parent coaching because we know that you are the primary support for your student. To learn more about our programs and how we can help you and your student, call us today at (877) 485-2776.
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