It’s high school graduation season, which means a new crop of college kids, leaving home soon. Now is the time for parents to talk to their teenagers about the challenges on the horizon, and the Parent Toolkit, designed as a free resource by NBC News, can help.
“The takeaway is that there’s support, it empowers parents, and sometimes parents don’t know where to go, this is a one-stop shop, parents can get as many resources as they’re looking for,”said Jayne Greenberg of Miami-Dade Public Schools.
Greenberg helped NBC with content for the website. It launched in 2014, concentrating on the K-12 years, and just added a section called Life After High School. With a few clicks on www.parenttoolkit.com, parents can find advice on just about every issue that comes up.
“How to talk to your child about proper nutrition, study habits, there’s also conversation starters regarding underage drinking, consent, topics that sometimes are difficult for parents to speak to their children about,” Greenberg said.
For example, there’s a video on making healthy, cheap meals in a dorm room, another one that teaches proper body language for a job interview, and more. Just the thought of going away to college creates anxieties in some high school students.
“Of all of them, I think the biggest one is financial and not being able to go to college because of money,” said Claudia Teran, a student at iPrep Academy.
The Parent Toolkit has a section on Financial Literacy and dealing with money issues.
Local
Another frequently-mentioned source of stress is the fear of being homesick.
“Leaving my family, leaving my friends, too, is also a big anxiety, I feel like I’m gonna be alone out of the state just doing my education,” said Natalie Balladares, also a student at iPrep Academy.
The Toolkit has extensive advice on how to talk to your kids about social and emotional issues. The bottom line for parents? Your job never ends, even if school eventually does.
