September 2009, Issue 1

When you've spent all your time, attention and money devoted to raising children for twenty to thirty years or more, life can seem more than a little empty once those kids are grown up enough to leave home. There's actually a feeling of emptiness, loneliness, and loss that's known as empty nest syndrome. Many parents have a difficult time getting used to the children being gone, and sometimes it can take awhile to adjust. Read more about the symptoms and effects of empty nest syndrome and ways to cope after sending your child to college.

As you student leaves for college, parents must learn a new balance in their parenting. Parents need to remain involved in their student’s life while they are in college. With mobile phones, text messaging, email, instant messaging, FedEx, and all the rest of technology that is available today, it's extremely easy for parents to stay in touch with their college student. But, when is it too much? Parents need to realize is that a major part of college is the student learning to deal with life issues on their own.
As a parent, now is the time to step back and let your student step forward and practice what you have been teaching them all along. Read this article to explore ways to manage the new parenting boundaries with college-aged students.