How to Avoid Graduation Anxiety

While parents mail party invitations to relatives and shop for graduation gifts, seniors are often battling the stress that inevitably shows up at the end of their high school years. Here are some steps to help your teenagers through this joyful but difficult time.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Patience
• Understanding

How to Avoid Graduation Anxiety

1. Remember that the sense of impending loss of the familiar—parental support, a room of one’s own, friends they’ve known for years, a comfortable school environment—hits hardest right before graduation. Just when kids want autonomy the most, they also want help. So be prepared for some behavior that may take you back to the terrible two’s.
2. Talk honestly and openly about their feelings. Let your senior know you are aware of the kind of stress that goes with getting ready for graduation. Avoid such statements as “You have the whole world ahead of you” or “This should be the most exciting time of your life.”
3. Confront any stress you yourself may be having as a parent facing “empty nest syndrome.” Make decisions about how you will deal with the changes in your family life in a positive way and share your feelings and plans with your son or daughter.
4. Simplify the household routine as much as possible. Have things well organized so there are no surprises. Subtly try to oversee eating and sleeping habits to maintain physical stamina.
5. Watch for signs and make sure that your senior is not sabotaging himself. Sometimes kids will go as far as to purposely fail second semester classes, “forget” to send in college admission forms, or miss job interviews in order to avoid confronting their futures.
6. Discuss money issues openly. There are the expenses related to the graduation itself: announcements, cap and gown rental, prom, senior trips—it all adds up, so parents need to let seniors know how much of the expense they are willing to pay themselves.
7. Watch for signs that your child is undergoing extreme stress. These signs include a major change in behavior, social withdrawal, and outwardly aggressive behavior. In this event, seek outside help.