GREENSBORO, N.C. — High school graduation is rapidly approaching. With the excitement of starting the next phase of their lives, many students will live at home with their parents until the end of the summer when they head to college. Now that students are entering a new phase of their lives, sometimes there can be a little tension with their parents on the home front.
High school graduates might feel that since they're starting college at the end of the summer, they might want to start living a little more independently before moving to campus. The problem is that parents still have rules they'd like their kids to follow. For example, keep their rooms neat, wash their clothes, respect curfew, and let them know where they're going and who they're going out with.
There are two schools of thought on how to handle this. One way is to be proactive and chat with your high school graduate before there are any issues as a prevention measure. Something like, "Hey, it's an exciting time for you. A couple more months before you head to college. Wanted to talk about how we like the summer to go" And you talk about your expectations. The second school of thought is to see what happens and address it as situations arise.
Some parents might not want to rock the boat because they feel their high school graduates will be heading to college in a few months. So, they're willing to tolerate a little more to keep the peace. The problem is that it can cause tension between you. And as a way to cope, some people (both parents and graduates) might blow off steam indirectly or passive-aggressively, damaging their relationship. Or, it can lead to a blowout because you can't take anymore after a certain point. Remember that your mom or dad, your house, your rules. Get input
from your graduate on managing the next couple of months, but ultimately, it's your say.
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