What to Consider When Your Kids Are About to Graduate

High school graduation is an exciting time for young people and their parents. In most cases, the parents are even more nervous about their children graduating than the young adult is. This is some advice for parents of new grads.

Gap Year

What is a gap year? Many young people take a year off between graduating high school, and going to college. They will use this time to find out what they like and save up some money from working. This is okay. If the young adult doesn't go to college right away, it does not mean that all is lost. They are taking a year to explore their interests and discover what they want to major in. This can help save time and money down the road.

Consider Community College

It is okay if a young person wants to go to the local community college. That is a great way to get some credits and save money. Universities are expensive, and for the first two years of college, students are most like going to take general education requirements. The last two years is when they focus on their major. A community college can help a student save money, and most of the classes are transferable to a university. A student should check with the university they want to attend to make sure the classes will transfer, but the majority of them will.

Teach Them Life Skills

Most parents do a lot for their children. They need to stop and teach the young person some basic skills during their teen years. High school graduation comes up faster than they expect. It is up to the parent to teach the young adult basic cooking skills and household skills, such as doing laundry and cleaning up after themselves. They also should learn how to keep their finances straight. They need to learn how to budget, to pay bills and still have money for necessities. These are life skills that many people do not know when they go out into the world. It is a good decision to teach young adults these skills before they graduate high school.

Help with Employment

If the graduate has no immediate plans to go to school, the parents can help them find a job. A parent should work with the young person to help them learn how to search for employment, review interviewing skills, and go over proper behavior at work. Many graduates do not have these skills, so it is important to review them.

It’s Okay to Say, "No"

Parents should teach their graduate it is okay to say, "no." If they do not like something a person is offering, or they feel like they are in an uncomfortable situation, saying "no" is acceptable. It is part of becoming an adult.

Take a Step Back

If a young person wants to make their own decisions, the parents should take a step back. Even if they do not agree with it, they should allow the young person to begin to make their own decisions. Failing, and making mistakes, happens to adults all of the time. If the parents shelter their graduate even after high school, they will not learn how to make decisions, and will not learn that they are not always going to win.

These are some things that parents of those that are about to graduate high school should be aware of. High school graduation comes up faster than most people realize, and it is important to set the young person up for success.