53: What to Do When Your Teen is Homesick at College

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Lisa M. Desautels is the Vice President of Student Affairs at Thomas College. Lisa is responsible for the functional areas of counseling services, health services, disability services, leadership development, and more. Transitions can be tough on everybody, not just for your young adult headed off to college. There will be times where they might phone home for a little bit of support or where they might just want to come back home, what should a parent do? Lisa offers some advice. </span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Key Takeaways</span></p> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">What do you do if your children get homesick at college? </span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">When your young adult goes off to college, it’s a transition for the whole family.</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Transitions are tough for everybody, but you can lighten the burden by having these open conversations in the summer. </span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Homesickness can come on suddenly for your child. It can hit them when they realize their missing special moments back home.</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">What should you do if they’re not getting along with their college roommate? </span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">You get two types of homesick calls. </span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">It can be tempting to bail your child out, but the best way through is forward. Ask them questions as to why they feel so lonely and isolated. </span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Should parents call the school to add additional support to the teachers/counselors? </s