Get Your Kids - and Yourself - Ready For Uni

If your kids are heading off to uni, there’s a fair bit to do before you can give yourselves a pat on the back for getting them this far. As much as we’d all like it to be a case of pop them on a train and let them get on with it, they won’t quite have reached that level straight off.

You need to start preparing them for the ‘real world’, even if it is still inside the uni bubble, which means making sure they have everything they need – including the ability to make cheese on toast without burning the dorm down.

While you’re not going to be able to ensure they are ready for everything sort-of-adult life has to throw at them, you can at least make sure they are mostly prepared and that you are too. Here’s a few ways to get them ready to fly the nest, even if they are back every weekend with their dirty washing:

There’s very little point in buying the best of everything for your kids in order to get them ready for uni. Pans will probably get used for things other than cooking, glasses will get smashed and clothes are going to end up covered in booze, face paint and god knows what else.

via GIPHY

You’re best off checking out what you’ve got spare that they can take. This will save you cash – yes, you’ll likely end up footing the bill to start with – and it won’t matter as much when they think 3am saucepan tennis is a good idea. If you don’t have enough spare bits lying around, why not treat yourself to a new set of pans and let them take your old ones?

While you could buy your kids a washing machine to take to uni, they’ll still probably bring a pile of dirty pants home to you when they come to visit. You can try and limit the amount of dirty laundry they put in their suitcase by ensuring they have change for the launderette.

via GIPHY

There’s no guarantee that this is what it will get used for, but at least you can say you tried. You might also want to talk them through how to use the washing machines and tumble dryers when you drop them off too.

Sometimes, students still need their parents. Especially if it’s 2am, they’ve had one too many Jaeger bombs and had an argument with their bestie. If you don’t want to get woken up by a drunken phone call on a Wednesday, you might want to start popping your phone on silent.

Not only will this give you a good night’s sleep, you’ll also end up with an answer phone message that you can embarrass them with.

Student loans don’t stretch all that far anymore, so the chances are your kid will need a bail-out at some point. It pays to recognise the signs that precede them asking so you can make sure you’ve got some cash to hand or a way for them to earn it.

You may just want to assume that if they are coming to visit, they’ll probably need some money so it can pay to be ready with a few notes when they arrive. It’s a good idea not to give them a big chunk of cash at once though, as it won’t last as long as it should while they’re still learning the word ‘budget’.

via GIPHY

Before they head off to uni, you should probably ensure they can make something more than cereal. You want to make sure they’re eating right – or at least okayish – while they’re at uni, so teaching them some simple recipes could be the best way to go about it.

via GIPHY

If you’re not sure these meals are going to stick, kit them out with a recipe book or something like our Cook4Me Connect, which allows them to search recipes and follow simple on-screen instructions to create quick and healthy meals without any fuss. There’s no guarantee they’ll pay attention, but at least you can’t be blamed for not teaching them how to boil an egg.

Find out more about our Cook4Me Connect.