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| June 2010 Newsletter | SuccessfulCollegeParenting.com |
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Successful College Parenting Strategies |
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| Greetings! |
The first issue of Successful College Parenting Strategies was launched on the Internet a year ago this month.
During the past year I focused on writing content that supports and guides parents of pre-college and college students in parenting during times of intense transitions and ongoing change. In the weeks leading up to this month's issue, I am increasingly aware of the ways that I have grown and benefited from producing this monthly publication. Interestingly, the lessons I have garnered in writing Successful College Parenting Strategies, are also worth considering as one engages in his or her parenting journey.
In producing Successful College Parenting Strategies I have:
paired creativity with structure; (an important combination in successful parenting)
created time each month to think about parenting including my own; (this is different than talking about the challenges we face with our children)
connected with others who have been eager to share their expertise; (consistently enhancing one's skills and knowledge creates the possibility for change to occur)
engaged others in conversation about the real-life parenting strategies that are working for them in their parenting; (expanding my own parenting tool kit)
taken a risk to try something new and to sustain it for a long enough period to see if it has wings; (our parenting ruts don't get established overnight, so when we try a new approach we must recognize that it too needs time to establish roots within our family system.
Celebrate with me in this year of growth, and if you are relatively new to Successful College Parenting, you'll want to acquaint yourself with the archive of free monthly newsletters, the monthly selection of live webinars, and the opportunity to choose a number of different parent coaching programs.
For my readers who have been here since day one, I invite you to share your impressions and suggest future topics of interest as you travel your parenting path.
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The Business of Family Meetings |
If your childhood memories are even remotely like mine, when my parents would convene a family "meeting" it usually meant that there was bad news to share or a huge change on the way. I recall three such meetings (though I know there were more) - one to share that my brother's draft number had been picked to serve in Vietnam, another to learn that my great-grandmother had died, and then the news, when I was thirteen, that we were moving to New Zealand for a year. I was conditioned early-on to take a deep breath when I was told, "We need to talk as a family this evening," and a shadow of angst would follow me around for the remainder of the day.
Family meetings have developed a very different tone and function from what I, and my clients, experienced growing up. More and more families are finding it both necessary and beneficial to bring family members together to talk about family issues; recognizing that much of the time they feel more like "independent housemates" than a family.
My clients have had many successful areas of interaction and creative ideas for making family meetings more than a dreaded gathering -- focusing their efforts on shaping the only place that holds possibility for change, the future.
Click here to learn what's working for parents as they shape family meetings that their pre-college and college-aged children actually enjoy. |
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| June
Webinar Offerings |
Register for a scheduled webinar or approach Kay about conducting one for your group.
June Webinars:
Book Discussion: College of the Overwhelmed
Parenting Your Student Toward College Success Skills
Home for Summer: Tips and Traps to Parenting your College Student |
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Kay's News | |
COLLABORATIONS & NEW WEBINAR SERIES
Carroll University: 3-part Webinar for Parents of Students With Disabilities
New 3-part Webinar for Parents of Students Studying Abroad - by request
Presenter, May - Parent Orientation, Berklee College of Music |
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| Communication Central - The Value of Family Dinners |
 If you find that your pre-college or college children are living in the same home with you this summer, consider eating together a minimum of once a week. William J. Doherty, Ph.D., University of Minnesota, identifies that having frequent family dinners is associated with higher life satisfaction in the domains of relationships, mental and physical health, and sense of life achievement.
Family dinners should focus on:
- creating a comfortable environment;
- having fun;
- opportunities for good conversation.
Too often dinner-time is used as an opportunity to "catch" your kids while they are sitting in one place, and then proceed to talk with them about problems in their attitude or behaviors. Many parents have shared that they experienced this pattern growing up, so it is no wonder that it has continued through the generations. Think about it...you are hungry, you haven't really seen your family all day and now, when you do, you know you are going to hear about everything you have done wrong. Does this sound like fun, or comfortable, or an environment that might stimulate good conversation? A family meal can be a great time to:
- enhance cooking skills by cooking together;
- try new recipes;
- cook family favorites as a way to both nourish and nurture;
- encourage conversation about daily happenings (In a world of Twitter it is particularly valuable to have the opportunity to converse in complete sentences);
- show support for each other, celebrating successes and lending help during challenging times;
- connect around shared topics of interest;
- create and recount family memories.
It is easier to sit down together when everything is going smoothly in your family system, but family dinners also have an important role in creating a comfortable space and place during challenging times. They can offer a neutral zone where family members connect around the shared experience of eating together and where conversations about interests can emerge. |
| Did you know... Let the entrepreneurial ideas fly in a tight summer job market |
When the summer job market gets tight, there are often entrepreneurial opportunities that students can initiate to make money. Consider helping your student to think about what services are needed in your area and then see if there is a match between what your student might be able to offer and the needs that exist. Think beyond house painting, child care, tutoring, and yard work.
How about:
- organizing or scrapbooking photos for people who are too busy to do so;
 providing social media training to local small business owners;
- making something and selling it at local craft fairs and summer festivals;
- providing pet sitting or dog walking -- people often prefer that someone comes to their home;
- making and decorating cupcakes for summer parties and birthdays;
- organizing yard sales for people;
- detailing cars;
- providing private instruction for kids involved in sports.
These are not the easiest of times to find employment, but with some word-of-mouth marketing and hard work, the potential for creating a cash flow definitely exists. |
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Enjoy this month's newsletter and please feel free to e-mail me with topics you'd like to learn more about. SuccessfulCollegeParenting.com is your resource for enhancing your child's college experience. Visit the website to read this month's article and access the archive.
Kay Kimball Gruder, M.Ed., Parent Coaching Institute™ Certified Parent Coach®
Successful College Parenting Strategies Newsletter Copyright © 2010 by Kay Kimball Gruder, SuccessfulCollegeParenting.com
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