Most parents may not be thinking about packing their kids off to college until the reality hits them in the face. Sure, there’s been the dreaded SAT prep, college applications, and trying to figure out FASA, but most of us are in denial until we’re packing up the car for freshmen orientation.
The fact is that once high school graduation is over and the parties are done, it’s time to start shopping for your teen’s dorm room. For most soon-to-be college freshmen, the upcoming academic year will be their first extended time away from home. As parents, we know the 18th birthday doesn’t mean your teens are adults. They still have quite a way to go toward independence. What you want to send them away with is the necessary life skills for college.
Regardless of how far your teen’s college or university is, it’s important to impart basic life skills before pulling away from the dormitory for the trip home. While you think your teen is prepared for life on their own, inevitably, there will be calls about laundry disasters, overdrawn checking accounts, and the dreaded maxed-out credit cards. While money management and life skills should be an essential required course in high school, classes like that typically aren’t offered. So, it’s up to us. This summer, make sure your teen is actually ready for life away from home by packing these life skills for college along with everything else.
Life skills for college
Whether your teen will be living on campus or commuting, these life skills are important. As a parent, you are your child’s first role model. Even though your teens have been living in your house for the last 18 years, they probably haven’t paid that much attention to everything that goes on.
Once they’re away from home, they quickly understand that clean clothes don’t magically appear in their closet. When they’re away at college, you want them to be able to handle the basics on their own without panicking. The more life skills you send your teen away with the more self-assured and independent they will be. So, here are the seven most important life skills you want your teen to have before you drop them off at the dorm.
Household skills
The dorm room doesn’t come with a cleaner, and you don’t want your teen living in filth, especially if he or she shares a suite and a common area. One of the biggest issues freshmen roommates have with each other is the upkeep of the room. Make sure your teen knows the housekeeping basics by teaching them how to do these everyday chores.
- Making the bed
- Changing the sheets
- Cleaning the toilet and bathroom
- Washing dishes
- Vacuuming
- Dusting
Adding cleaning supplies to the haul headed to college is a plus.
Cooking basics
The freshman 15 is a thing, and many college kids eat out a lot because the cafeteria food is awful. Eating out on a regular basis is expensive and not the healthiest lifestyle. While your teen doesn’t need to be Martha Stewart, knowing how to make scrambled eggs, pasta, grilled chicken, hot dogs, grilled cheese, ramen, and other simple recipes is a huge benefit. You and your teen can spend quality time before the semester starts learning how to cook and using everyday kitchen appliances.
Refrigerator 101
College kids eat out a lot and leftovers hit the refrigerator and take up permanent residence before becoming a science experiment. To avoid unwanted bacteria, stomach upset and food poisoning, teach teens how to manage the refrigerator.
- Use leftovers within four days
- Freeze leftovers if they’re not going to be eaten
- Use opened perishable foods within seven days or discard
- Read expiration dates
- Take a few minutes to clean out spoiled food every couple of weeks
Laundry 101
If your teen doesn’t know his or her way around a washing machine and dryer, take time over the summer to teach laundry basics. Teens should know how to wash clothing, sheets, and towels. They should also know what water temperature to use, as well as what can and can’t go in the dryer. Pods are great because then they can’t overdo the laundry detergent.
Let teens practice washing and drying loads in the weeks leading up to school. Don’t forget about putting clothes away. Clean clothes need to go into drawers, the closet, or those under-the-bed storage bins. Get them out of the habit of leaving clean clothes piled on the bed.
Grocery shopping
Teens have been food shopping with you many times, but they aren’t necessarily focused on the process. Once the stash you sent is gone, your teen will need to head to the local food store. Teach teens how to pick out good produce and meat. Make sure they understand the importance of checking expiration dates before purchasing, as well as making sure the packaging is intact. Introduce teens to the saving power of sales and coupons too.
Car essentials
Even if your teen won’t have a car on campus, it’s important to know how to put air in a tire, change a tire in an emergency, jump start the engine and pump gas, especially if your college freshman is from New Jersey, where no self-pumping is allowed. Getting a AAA card is also a must.
Money management
Before teens leave for college, it’s important to discuss fiscal responsibility. Teach teens how to manage money before you get the frantic call home about credit card and checking account issues. Help teens set up a budget. Consider a part time job on campus. Having a part time job is a great way to teach fiscal responsibility and taking a small step toward independence.
College freshmen should know how to budget the money they earn in order to pay their necessary bills while still having money for essentials like food and fun. Teach them how to manage their debit card, Venmo, PayPal or checking account while staying within budget.
Many parents give their teens a credit card for emergencies or help them apply for one to take to college. Make sure your teen understands an emergency isn’t buying the lacrosse team pizza. Teach teens to check credit card statements each month, pay the total off in its entirety, and to pay the bill on time. Teens should understand paying the minimum on credit cards and late fees costs more money in the long run while damaging credit rating. To avoid disasters, teens should have only one credit card.
If you take the time to show your teen how to manage his or her money, you’ll avoid needing to make emergency deposits to their Venmo. You also don’t want to see your teen rack up huge amounts on their credit card on top of those loan payments they’re going to have after graduation.
Closing thoughts
As a parent or caregiver, your head is probably spinning. Taking the time to make sure your teen has packed the necessary life skills for college they need, helps make for a better adjustment to school and being away from home. It gives you peace of mind, especially if your teen’s college is a considerable distance away.
When teens have basic life skills, they’re more apt to be independent, which is the goal of every parent. Helping teens get a handle on how to manage life away from home the summer before college is also a fabulous way to savor quality time before they leave the nest.
