From the time kids enter kindergarten, it is not uncommon for parents to start pushing their children to work hard in school so they can get into a "good" college someday. As "someday" looms closer and closer for high school juniors and seniors, conflicts between teens and their parents may occur and the stress of trying to prepare for college can become overwhelming. Below are a few questions that may be good conversation starters to open the lines of communication between parents and teens.
How do you define a "good" college?
How does your child define a "good" college?
What does it mean to you to be successful?
In what ways do you expect your child to be successful?
How does your child define success?
Do you both view success in the same way?
How does your culture influence your definition of success?
Are all the pressures of school, extracurriculars, ACT/SAT, college applications, volunteer work, jobs, etc. causing too much stress and anxiety?
In what way? Set aside some time to talk as a family to help identify those things that are causing the most stress and consider making changes to help make life feel more manageable.