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October is a crazy month for high school juniors and seniors. Between standardized tests, after school activities, college tours, applications, and who can forget all that homework, it’s easy for teens to get overwhelmed. So how can you, as a parent, prevent your teen from feeling burned out with so much going on?
Here are a few tips for helping them keep their cool:
Let them know it’s ok to vent. After a hard day at the office it might be tough to sit at the kitchen table and hear your 17-year old complain about how hard they have it. But that’s part of the charm of being a parent! Whether they’d like to admit it or not, your teen needs your help to get through this wildly confusing time. You might not have all the answers, but in some cases, just being there to listen to their frustrations can help.
Make sure they have some alone time to unplug. Being a teen today means that you’re constantly connected to the whole world at any given moment. While most teenagers have no qualms hiding in their room to tune out the rest of the world, it’s very difficult for them to actually “get away” with their eyes glued to a glowing screen for hours at a time. Reading, practicing an instrument (for fun), art projects, and physical activities such as yoga or time at the gym, are all great ways for teens to “recharge” by themselves and reflect on what’s going in their lives.
Doing college tours? Schedule something fun afterward. For the highly motivated teen, finding their college match and touring campuses can be just as mentally exhausting as studying for midterms. But it doesn’t have to be all work and no play. Use your college visits as an opportunity for you and your child to explore a new city, see a live performance, or catch a sporting event together.
Don’t forget that they have friends. It’s easy to forget that good friends are just as important as good grades when it comes to getting through high school. If you notice your teen is becoming overburdened by school work and their college search, it might be worth letting them know it’s important to take the time out for a bit of socialization. A night out at the movies after a big exam might be just what the doctor ordered.
Sam Coren is the Content Manager for StudentAdvisor.com, a Washington Post education site for college reviews and free resources on all things college.
Dare to be creative with the college process. I have a client who organized a college application party — a few parents and students came to the house, brought their laptop computers, used the Wi-Fi — and transformed the dread of filling out another application into a social event. Parents guided kids other than their own which diffused some of the common parent-child conflicts. Work got done, there was less stress experienced by all — and tasks got done.
Great suggestion! We at TeenLife will definitely pass that on. I can definitely see where parents helping others’ children can be a beneficial, tension-relieving factor. – KS
Definitely some good tips. I just barely got started in college this year, and I remember how crazy all of that was. I also had an everyday job after school and kept a 4.0. The only thing that really got me through it was friends and social time.