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High Schooler On The Way: Preparing Your
Child For High School
Middle
school :
was lots
of fun but now it is time to become a high schooler. Is your student ready for the challenges that
come with being a part of high school?
It could be more overwhelming for you then it is for them. As with most situations, the goal is to
determine the best way to prepare your child for the next step in their
education. Just as they moved from elementary school into middle school, moving
from middle school to high school will often provide them with a number of
unique challenges.
may interest you Infants (0-1 year of age)
may interest you Making The Transition To A First Grader
What's
Different
When it different in high school? During
middle school, children are going through an awkward stage. They feel weird as they work through hormonal
changes. They likely went through more
than one embarrassing moment. High
school may be more of the same but what you may also notice is that your teens
have gotten to be more stable and levelheaded.
While many tweens will struggle with change, many high schoolers are
adjusting well to their social surroundings and may even be working towards
their goals of a solid, well-developed adult.
So,
what should you expect from them, here are some things you may see:
· More
independent; most high schoolers will not ask for your help nearly as
often. To prepare your teen for this,
make sure they know you are there when you need them but that you respect their
ability to make decisions.
· More
risky and willing to take a challenge; teens are often pressuring each other to
do things, and for this you need to be prepared. Before high school starts, remind your child
about being safe and peer pressure, reassure them that you are counting on them
to make good decisions
· They will
be more distant; as they come into their own, they will be highly less likely
to want you to pick them up from school or to help them with homework. Be positive about this, seeing it as a time
for development.
There
will be many changes as a high schooler, but the average high schooler is able
to adjust more readily than they used to.
Setting
Goals, Answering Needs
Preparing
your high schooler may not require a lot of work on your part, just some good
talks about expectations and rules. Yet,
in the coming years they will be going through many things that you need to be
there for, in case they do need you. For
most parents, this means helping your child to set goals for school and beyond
and to be paying attention to them so that you can help them make good
decisions and catch them when they don't.
For
example, colleges begin to look at your child's transcripts starting as early
as 9th grade. This means that
they need to start thinking about their futures now. What do they want to do and where do they
want to be? You do not need hard answers
here, but they need to realize that scholarships and school choices will become
dependent on their ability to do well during the next few years. Not only do grades count but also extra
activities they become involved with. As
a high schooler, they need to think of these things more often.
In
addition to setting goals for your high schooler, you also need to be able to
notice them. They may be coming and
going faster than you can stop them, but do notice signs of change in
them. If you feel that your high
schooler is not well, talk to them about it.
Learn what the signs of drug, alcohol and cigarette use are and react
when you are worried that your teen may be exposed. By playing an active role in your child's
health and well-being, you safeguard them from potential problems.
Preparing
your child for high school is a challenge. You will need to start seeing them
as a young adult rather than your baby.
You may have to give them more freedom and your demands of them may
continue to grow. Yet, the goal of high
school is to prepare your child for the real world, a world where you will not
be there to hold their hand.
With my best wishes