1. Most students will sleep a lot when they get home. Not only are they tired from traveling, but
they are probably mentally exhausted from being “on” all semester. The first
semester of college is mentally, emotionally, and physically draining, so let
them sleep.
2. Once your child arises from a 10 hour nap, he will
probably want to eat and see his hometown friends. This can be painful for
parents since you’ve been waiting for months to see your child, but all he
wants to do is go out with other people. You can approach this from two angles;
you can insist that he stay at home for the first evening and see his friends later,
or you can let him go out with his buddies and plan to see him during the rest
of the break. There’s no correct way to handle this, but the one thing that is
essential is communication. Express your expectations for “family time” before
he returns so everyone knows what to expect.
3. Go ahead and coddle during the break. While it’s crucial
that students learn to care entirely for themselves while they’re at college,
when your child is home for break a little spoiling won’t hurt. If you want to
make a big breakfast, do it. If you want to do all her laundry, go for it, but don’t
do these things out of a sense of guilt or duty. Just do them from a position
of love and caring, and by all means expect a “thank you” from your child!
4. Thanksgiving break is too short. By the time your child
sleeps for a day, visits with friends for another, helps out with a few household or yard
chores, then sleeps away another day, the break is over
and he’s gone again. Rest assured that even though this visit is way too short,
you’ve probably had just enough time together. A four to six week winter break will arrive within
about three weeks and for some families, that gets a little too long!
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