
Sally Stetson
05/27/2015 10.42 EST
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Salveson Stetson Group hosts an annual College Seminar for our clients to support their family members who will be graduating from college. At this seminar, we focus on providing advice to students on how to effectively look for a job. In addition, we spend time with parents and discuss how they can best support their children.
It has been a very successful and well attended event each year. As you can imagine, many parents have greatly encouraged their children to attend with the hopes that our advice will land their child that elusive first job.
We have to navigate through a sensitive path with parents at the College Seminar. First and foremost, they are our clients. We want to help them, but also ease their anxieties about their children. Some are frustrated, as they don’t believe their child has been active enough in the job market. Others are concerned that their child seems aimless with little direction regarding what they intend to do with their life. Some parents are ready to have their children “off the payroll” and actively participating in the world of work and want to ensure they are able to find the best job for themselves. Bottom line – we see it all.
One interesting aspect of the College Seminar program is allowing parents to vent their concerns, hopes and dreams for their child, along with their frustrations. Naturally, it becomes a supportive environment where parents learn from one another. Here are a few tips we have learned over the years to help parents as they develop strategies to help their “soon-to-be college graduate”:
This time for parents is a mixture of joy and liberation (no more college payments!), but also one of sadness that your child is moving out of the house permanently. It is also a new chapter that allows you to begin to build a new kind of relationship with your “grown-up child.” Providing support, but at the same time letting go, can be a bit tricky, but usually your child is ready to launch themselves into the world. It is a time to celebrate for both of you.