How Involved Should Parents Be When Their Child is Filling Out the Application?

 Students are often overwhelmed with everything they have on their plate.  They have school work to get done and grades are extremely important especially senior year, they have extra curricular activities, looming last chance standardized tests, and then to top it all off they need to fill out the applications. It would be very easy for parents to intervene and take the weight of the world off their children’s shoulders and take over and begin filling out the application for them. Who knows better than a parent all the personal and demographic information?

While our seniors are overwhelmed, it is certain that if the time they spend on social media and binge watching the latest Netflix show is tallied, they would have plenty of time to fill out the application. This process is an opportunity for these young adults to learn very important lessons that will help ready them for life outside the parent’s home. Independence, responsibility, real life deadlines, and time management. Resist the urge to take over. But this does not mean that a parent needs to be completely hands off.  Help set a calendar and timeline and post the calendar in a communal area. Ask if help is needed, and always be there with a smile or hug.