I am a little late on this post but sometimes my hands move slower than my brain. Next year my Grand daughter Korie will be heading off to college and it got me to thinking about things I wanted to make sure Allison could do before she left home to live on her own. Living in a dorm is a lot different than having your own personal space so kids need to know how to navigate certain areas where Mom used to step in.
First on my list is laundry. Teach your kid how to separate clothes according to colors and what cycle to wash them on. Most of the time kids, especially boys, will just throw everything in there together and then things come out dingy and faded and all kids of different colors. Sometimes they even come out shrunken! Lol
Next, if you have a daughter make sure she can do her own hair. Using a pressing comb or flat iron can be a hazard if you don’t know how to properly use it. It is very easy to severely damage your hair or burn it out completely. Remember that freshman are not allowed to have cars on campus so even if she can afford to go to a salon transportation may be an issue.
Make sure your kid knows how to pay bills either online or if need be go into a facility a pay it. Although no one really uses a physical check anymore it is still a good idea that your kid know how to write one just in case you need something other than a debit card receipt.
Make sure they know about cold, allergy and headache medicines. Make sure they know how to read the ingredients to make sure there is nothing in there that they may be allergic too. Also if your kid uses an inhaler or any medication on the regular or especially an epi-pen make sure that they know how to order a refill and make sure that they let someone, probably a roommate or good friend know what symptoms to look for or how to use it in case they get into trouble and cannot medicate themselves. It is also a good idea to teach them how to make a Doctors appointment in case they need to see someone outside of student health before they get home.
There are probably a few other essentials that your kid may need to know before they head off on their on but these basic things will get them started as they venture out into a world out of Mom and Dad’s reach.
We all try to equip our kids with the knowledge that they will need to survive without us but going off to college is the first real taste of independence that your child will have. Make sure that they are ready to maneuver in the world by covering the basics!
