Sending Love From Home

Having your student away from home can be hard for you as a parent, but being away from home is tough too. The stress of classes, exams, and projects can build up and make it really difficult to be away from home. I know for me, when things get stressful what I want to do the most is go home and relax. Unfortunately, it’s not always possible to go home on the weekends. That’s why sending love and support from home is so important.

Letting your student know you’re thinking about them when times are rough is a great way to encourage them. Just sending a short text when you know they are stressed is more helpful than you might expect. I love getting texts from my mom when I’m stressed out, and I definitely love getting pictures of my dogs. Texting is a great way to reach your student but it is also fun to get letters! We don’t really get much mail as college students, so receiving a letter is a nice surprise!

Another great surprise is a care package. While you can order generic care packages to be delivered to your student online, it’s much nicer to have the personal touch from Mom and Dad in there. You know your student better than pretty much anyone, so make up a care package of all his or her favorite things! If you live in an area with one of our Regional Parents Clubs, there’s a get together near the end of every semester for you to build a care package for your student during finals! Of course if you’re unable to attend or from an area that doesn’t have a parents club, you can always use snail mail. A large part of care packages are snacks. Having food on hand that is quick and easy to eat while studying is super convenient, but homemade goodies are a plus. College students are prone to snacking so it’s probably not a bad idea to throw some healthy snacks in there too. Some other great items to send to your student include:

1. Coffee
2. Gift Cards
3. Small gifts (new blanket, coffee mug, etc.)
4. Pictures from home

Getting a care package is awesome, but it is even better when you know your family spent time thinking about you.

Being away at school can be hard on everyone. Just remember that when you’re missing your student, they are probably missing you too—even if they don’t want to admit it. Doing something simple to remind them how much you care can go a long way when your student needs some extra support!