Close
Search
Close

Parenting Your Emerging Adult for College and Career Success

  • Posted at Jan 27, 2014
  • Written by yellowbrick

Will your parenting style promote the college and career success of your emerging adult? How much parent involvement encourages the development of critical skills needed for future success? Which educational and employment situations should parents let young adults handle on their own? How can parents influence college and career success?

Parent involvement or over-involvement

As emerging adults head off to college or take the first steps in their career, parents want to be involved, now more than ever. In “Is There an App for That?” Autonomy and Dependency in Today’s College Students, authors Diane R. Dean and Arthur Levine gained insight from college deans about the effects of parenting on students. Dean and Levine point out that too much parent involvement hinders the development of skills that students need for college and career success. Parents should consider their parenting style and identify any over-involvement that may be result in more harm than good.

The Do’s & Don’ts of Parenting for College and Career Success

  • Do listen to the college and career choices of your emerging adult. Don’t push them in the direction you would necessarily choose for them. Parents and emerging adults often differ in thoughts when it comes to choosing perfect college, major, or job ladder. When parents encourage supported exploration of college and career planning, emerging adults essentially take responsibility for their future.
  • Do encourage your emerging adult to attend meetings with advisors/counselors/professors on their own. Don’t be the parent who goes in place of your child. The obligation to retain information about what classes to take, how to raise a low grade point average, or when to plan for a study abroad program should fall on the emerging adult, not the parent. As college students take charge of their educational appointments, they figure out how to manage important engagements, how to pay attention in meetings, and how to follow-up with any questions left unanswered. When emerging adults accept the responsibility of meeting with college officials, they get practice collaborating with figures of authority, which will be beneficial upon graduation and entry into a professional field.
  • Do read your child’s papers if they ask for help. Don’t make the edits yourself. It’s alright to make a few suggestions or to challenge the way a point is presented. However, sitting down at the computer and rearranging an assignment so it will be a guaranteed “A” inhibits your emerging adult from critically thinking, as well as suppresses the development of essential coping and young adult life skills needed to deal with disappointment.
  • Do make yourself available to brainstorm when your emerging adult is stuck on a school or work project. Don’t come up with the plans on your own. Bouncing ideas around with your emerging adult will stimulate innovation and may give them a fresh perspective. Putting your heads together will be good practice for when your emerging adult needs to creatively collaborate with colleagues.
  • Do research with your emerging adult on how to create the perfect resume. Don’t do all the work for them. Resume writing is the first step an emerging adult will take in representing their professional persona. It can be a great exercise in identity-building, as putting together a resume enables an emerging adult to understand personal strengths while highlighting achievements and learning to verbalize their accomplishments.
Share: Facebook Twitter LinkedIn
Is There an App for That? Autonomy and Dependency in College Students Previous Post
Next Post Adoption and Young Adults

Take the Next Step

Yellowbrick collaborates with adolescents and emerging adults, ages 16-30's, their families and participating professionals toward the development and implementation of a strategic “Life Plan.” An integrative, multi-specialty consultation clarifies strengths, limitations, and risks, and defines motivations, goals and choices.

    Get Help now, call us toll free

    Real-Time Treatment for Emerging Adults and their Families

    Bipolar Disorder

    A mental health condition that’s characterized by intense shifts in mood including both manic and depressive episodes.

    Major Depressive Disorder

    People living with Major Depressive Disorder, or MDD, experience episodes of depression and sadness that are debilitating to daily life.

    Anxiety Disorders

    Those living with anxiety disorders experience high levels of anxiety and stress that interfere negatively with daily life.

    Thought Disorder

    A mental health issue in which a person’s cognitive function is impaired, resulting in symptoms like experiencing challenges with conducting speech, reading and writing, and behavior.

    Personality Disorders

    Mental health disorders that negatively affect a person’s behaviors, thought patterns, and function. People diagnosed with these disorders experience challenges with managing relationships and understanding various situations.

    PTSD

    Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is a mental health condition that people can develop as a result of experiencing traumatic situations, characterized by symptoms including flashbacks, avoidance behaviors, and more.

    ADHD

    A mental health condition that is characterized by specific symptoms of forgetfulness and lack of concentration, which makes it challenging to complete necessary tasks.

    Eating Disorders

    Mental health conditions that interfere with a person’s eating habits, thought patterns, and behaviors in negative ways.

    OCD

    A mental health disorder diagnosable with the DSM-5 that is characterized by both obsessions and compulsive behaviors.