If you’ve got a teenager setting off to university this month, you’ve probably spent a few sleepless nights worrying whether they’re equipped for the next stage in their lives. They can’t even pick their wet towels off the bathroom floor, so how are they going to survive at uni on their own?!
To help your child survive their first year at uni as best as possible – and to keep your nerves from fraying too much during the first few weeks – here are a few things you might like to try:
Help them budget
Yes, we all know that there is no way they are going to stick with the budget you set, especially with the lure of their student loan in the bank. But at least if you help them work out budgets, they’ll have them in the back of their mind so won’t necessarily spend all their money on beer and takeaways.
It’s probably a good idea to revise your own budget while they’re away at uni too, so you always have emergency funds to send them if they get into a pickle – and if they don’t, you’ll have a little extra to put towards your holiday or another nice purchase.
If your teenager can’t even boil an egg, this might be something you want to address. Teach them some basic cooking skills and simple recipes; good starting points would include stir fry, spaghetti bolognaise, a curry and a simple veggie or meat-based stew, all of which can be made in just the one pot.
To make things even easier, you might want to send them off with a Cook4Me, which basically does all the hard work for them. You never know, they might even cook for you next time they’re home.
Keep your spare change
Don’t let their supposed lack of loose change become their excuse for not doing their own laundry at uni. You might also want to show them how to use a washing machine before they head off if the concept really is foreign to them!
They aren’t going to have mum and dad ready to shout at them to get out of bed each morning and 8am wake-ups will feel like the middle of the night after a big one down at the student union. You might want to buy the new student a few extra alarm clocks so you know you’ve done all you can to get them up in the morning – and to pay them back for all those sleepless nights they gave you as a newborn by making their head pound…
Load up with vitamins and veggies
Freshers’ flu is real and is hard to avoid. When you’ve got so many people coming together from all corners of the country, plus a lot of late nights and not very nutritious meals, you’re bound to catch a bug or two. Building up your teen’s immune system – and trying to remind them to eat well – will help a bit, so be sure to pack them off with vitamins and veggies, even if it’s just tinned carrots and green beans.
If you want them to cook, they need decent equipment to cook with. Plus, if you buy them good pots and pans, they might be guilted into using them more often – although this may not work when it comes to the washing up. Getting them quality kitchen equipment will also mean you only need to make this investment once during their uni career.
Invest in a railcard
There will come a time when your teen gets homesick or just really wants your Sunday roast. As you’ll probably end up shelling out for a train ticket or two, save yourself some cash in the long run and make it cheaper for them to get around by sorting them out with a railcard. Trust us on this one.
It’s much harder to kick them off your Netflix if they aren’t actually in your house, so save yourself some trouble and encourage them to get their own account – it’s only a small monthly cost and it’ll save them having to cart their DVD collection back and forth every semester. And your recommendations will finally go back to your favourite dramas and documentaries, rather than that creepy Stranger Things they seem to love so much.
Be prepared for late night phone calls
Whether they’ve had a tipple too many, are stressed about exams or are just missing you – or a combination of all three – you’ll probably get a late night phone call or two. Make sure your child knows you’re there if they need you and encourage phone calls before 10pm, although this last tip probably won’t change their calling habits.
It’s natural for parents to worry, but the best thing you can do for your teen is to learn to let go. You can point them in the direction of the vitamins and a budget all you like, but the best way for them to learn how to stand on their own two feet is to make mistakes and learn from them. After making themselves ill with a dodgy kebab or embarrassingly having to ask you for money two weeks into term, they won’t do the same again.
Even if they get it wrong at first, shrink all their clothes in the wash and end up living off dried noodles, they’ll have so much fun along the way and pick up valuable life skills that will stay with them forever. So dry your eyes, and let them fly the nest.
