Life Skills Teens Won’t Learn in School That They Need Before College
Making sure your teen is ready for college means more than just making sure they’re academically prepared (even though that’s vital, too). College and post-high school life can be a shock for many teens who are not used to managing their own lives in some key areas. Our biggest advice? Stop doing everything for your teen—and give them time to fail while they still have your support.
Teens learn best by doing, trying, and failing so they can experience things firsthand (and not just get a lecture or an “I told you so” from you), including the benefits and rewards that go along with completing tasks. When you give them the space to gradually take ownership of some key areas while they’re still at home, they’ll be set up to be more successful when they do set out on their own.
So What Are Some of These Life Skills Teens Need to Learn?
Scheduling Appointments and Refilling Prescriptions
This is one of those things that we as parents take the lead on for so long that we don’t realize when our teens are capable of taking on this responsibility themselves. Especially if your child has consistent appointments that they’ll need to continue while they’re at school, start giving them the responsibility to make sure those appointments happen. In the same vein, if they take any prescriptions, make sure they know how and when to set up a refill so they don’t have any last minute panics when they run out.
Communicating Changes in Plans
As a parent, you probably are the primary contact person for your child’s responsibilities. Whether it’s sports, drama, music, work, or other areas where your teen has commitments, as they get into their later high school years, give them the responsibility of communicating time conflicts or discussing alternate plans when they have something come up. This will set them up to manage responsibilities more efficiently when they’re out on their own!
Making Sure They Don’t Run Out of Essentials
How often have you heard, “Mom, I’m out of toothpaste,” or gotten into the car only to realize the gas tank is nearly empty? Helping your teen take ownership of stocking up on essentials BEFORE they run out and it becomes an emergency is essential before they leave the house. You can start to train this pattern of thinking by giving warnings for when you’re going to the store (and telling them you won’t do other last-minute trips). Turning over the responsibility for planning these purchases is essential before they are fully on their own!
Prioritization and Time Management
Finally, the ability to manage their time and prioritize tasks is not something they’ll learn in a typical high school setting. Most teachers still lay out when to complete different phases of a project or provide consistent reminders and grace periods for assignments. However, once your teen goes to college or enters a workplace, these constructs are greatly reduced. Teens need to learn how to balance work, rest, and fun, as well as having the skills to prioritize what is most important to complete in the time they have.
As a parent in the teen years, it’s helpful to gradually pull back your hands-on involvement in your child’s time management and homework. Allow them the freedom to find systems that work for them (and be there to troubleshoot when things go wrong).
If this is an area of struggle for your teen, don’t wait to address it! Giving them strong executive functioning and study skills is essential whether they’re heading to a college, a job, or a combination.
