Around New England the month of March is one of contrasts. We are attending a Winter Athletics Award Night one week and a Spring Concert the next. Today it is snowing and yesterday it was nearly fifty degrees and sunny. Our daughter started to talk about summer jobs this week -- and yet it is still winter. College students head out as early as next week for spring break vacations -- with some seeking snow and others seeking sandy beaches.
I believe that for many March is also a month of looking forward, a time of movement, anticipating spring, summer, more daylight, transitions after school, etc. Interestingly, it was originally thought the beginning of the year and a "time for the resumption of war." The month of March presents an opportune time to share options and possibilities and to support the forward momentum of your student's ideas and actions.
Asking, "I'd love to hear what you're thinking about doing this summer -- not just in terms of a job or internship, but what else are you hoping to have happen or to do?" creates the conversational opening for ideas to flow and possibilities to emerge. All of a sudden what might at first glance appear to be a very one-dimensional summer, focused on a job or internship, now incorporates an array of opportunities for learning, fun, and connecting with others.
I had one client who was giving up the family vacation, because when her son came home from college he just seemed "so busy with his life." After he was home for a month he asked, "So what week are we going to the lake house? By starting the "what else are you hoping to have happen" conversation you can learn what is currently, or continues to be, of interest or importance to your student. You might even be surprised!
"Suspecting and knowing are not the same."
Rick Riordan
