Womens Thoughts

With the A-Level results now announced, is your child about to flee the nest and head off to university this September?

As a parent, sending a teen off to university can be quite a daunting time. The prospect of your ‘baby’ fleeing the nest is quite a scary thought.  How can you best prepare them for going it alone in the big wide world?Here’s some helpful advice / ideas you can share with them to help send them on their way:

1. Research the local town – get clued up on the areas to avoid (all local police forces keep a record online of crime hot spots).
   
2. Locate the nearest hospital, police station, STD clinic, dentist, etc to their residence and university.
   
3. If they have to travel to and from campus, locate the nearest bus stop and get hold of the relevant bus timetable.
   
4. Ask them to use a regular taxi company if going out at night and give them the numbers of a reliable local taxi firm.
   
5. Finally, set up a service on their mobile that enables you to locate them in an emergency, plus if they lose their phone it’ll help locate it too - god knows this may happen often on drunken nights out! A service such as itrack Protect allows you to locate them through their mobile device instantly and has an added alert function that they can use to discreetly contact you in case of emergencies.

And here’s what you should sort out and pack for them – a little something to help them through their first term:

1.      Condoms – yes Mum and Dad it’s going to happen!

2.      First Aid Kit - they’ll never think of plasters, headache tablets and other bits to keep them going.

3.      Cleaning equipment - they may never have tidied their room at home, but they’ll need to do it in halls or a shared house.

4.      Bed linen, towels, washing cloths – nothing exciting but very much everyday essential items.

5.      A cheap microwave - baked beans, super noodles and ready meals are the staple diet of a uni student – but also throw in a student recipe book of five minute, cheap and healthy meals. 

Related articles:-

Empty Nest Syndrome

Son or Daughter off to University