As you approach the end of high school, you’re probably looking toward college with a heady mix of fear, apprehension and outright excitement. This is your time as a young adult – too old for babyish curfews and rules, too young to be totally independent from the bank of mom and dad. It’s your time to strike out and live the way you’ve always wanted to live; away from home, from rules, from regulations and from being under the watchful parental eye. The question you have to ask yourself is whether you are ready. Are you ready to make that leap and be in charge of yourself?
You’re probably answering yes, saying it loud and proud and demanding the number for the moving companies you will call to help you gather ye rosebuds and sow them elsewhere! But wait – there are some things you’re going to need to know before you take that step. College may be ‘moving away’ but you’ll be back for holidays, and if you want to be truly independent you have to look within yourself and decide whether you really are ready.
Self-Help Skills. Before you move away from home to go to college, there are going to be a few skills you need to have under your belt. Ideally, your mom and dad instilled in you from a young age some tricks and tips in looking after yourself, namely being able to do your own laundry, cook something more than Ramen on toast and how to pay your own bills. If the idea that you have to do any of this stuff is concerning to you, then you’re not ready to make that leap. You need to learn how to plan ahead with your money so you can balance a grocery bill, your utilities, rent and even have cash left for socialising. You don’t want to have to call up your parents every week because you blew your cash – so be smart.
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Values. As a teenager, you’re going to come under all kinds of pressure from people around you. Drugs, alcohol, cigarettes and any number of taboo items that you would have had many lessons on saying no to. Upholding your values as a person is a key part of your developing maturity. Aim to fit what you want from yourself, rather than fit in with the crowds and be a sheep. You don’t have to follow the crowd for a good time. Have some self-assurance and if you feel like your own morals are in question, it’s a pretty accurate reason to stay confident in your beliefs and just say no.
Your parents are equally as nervous about you moving out of their home. They’ve cared for you and provided for you your whole life, all they want is what is best for you. Know that even if you’re living halfway across the country, they’ll always be there for you as a confidant, as someone to lean on and as a back-up just in case. Rely on them but trust yourself. Moving is a big step, but it doesn’t have to be a scary one.
