For 18 years, parents have the responsibility of taking care of their children. Through infancy and toddler years, middle school and high school, parents watch their students grow into healthy adults. After high school, many children choose to move out of the house or attend college. Although your child is now living on their own, there are still ways that you can ensure that they remain safe and secure as they learn to take care of themselves. You have to give them freedom to make decisions on their own while making sure that they are not harmed by anything dangerous. In this article, we will share seven ways that you make sure that your college student stays safe during their university experience.
1. Download a Phone Monitoring App
Web Watcher is the number one phone monitoring tool that is available. When you use a phone monitoring service, you can help protect your children from online predators. Many predators are aware that college students are not diligently downloading antivirus and cybersecurity programs. Without these protective services, a user’s identity and information can be compromised. By utilizing a monitoring tool, you can ensure that you students are not in danger of being cyberbullied or preyed upon.
2. Set Up Payment Notifications
If your child has received a student loan and is responsible for paying their tuition bills, set up online notifications to ensure that all payments are made on time. Unfortunately, missed and delayed payments can be harmful to credit history. In the future, a quality credit score is needed to buy cars, purchase homes, and even rent apartments. If a payment is late, follow up with your student and ensure that they plan to pay their bills at some point in the near future.
3. Have Meaningful Conversations
Education is critical to success. If your child does not know the dangers of binge drinking and drug usage, they may be tempted to explore various substances. When your child is educated on the impact that alcohol and drugs have on the system, they are more likely to make informed decisions. Create an environment that makes it easy for your student to ask questions. If they have a question about drugs, sex, or alcohol, they should feel welcomed to come to you to ask judgement-free questions.
4. Make an Emergency Plan
Before your child leaves for college, make sure they have a plan in place in case any dangerous situations occur. For example, help them develop a plan that they can follow if they are being followed or stalked. Many predators assume that college students are naive and vulnerable. By equipping your student with knowledge, self-defense training, and pepper spray, your student can be prepared to defend themselves no matter the situation.
5. Help Them Manage Finances
In college, many students develop financial habits that are viable for years in the future, and it is important that your kids are developing healthy habits. Before your child applies to college, you can teach them fiscal responsibility by helping them find an affordable college to attend by using BestValueSchools.org. After that, you can help them develop a budget based on the funding that they need to support themselves each semester.
6. Get to Know Their Friends
While your child is away, they will likely have roommates and friends that they spend the majority of their time with. When you have the opportunity, go and visit your child and get to know their friends. When you know the people that your student is spending time with, you will have a deeper trust of their safety and security. In addition, if their friends get to know you, they will be more prone to call you if an emergency arises.
7. Give Them Space
Unfortunately, many parents struggle to give their children space. When you do not trust your child, you may harm your relationship with them. When kids feel like they are under a microscope, they are more likely to make dangerous and rash decisions. If you want to see your kid become a successful adult, trust their judgements.
Summary
As a parent, sending a child to college can be difficult. After years of being their guardian, you have to trust they are equipped with the knowledge they need to make wise decisions. Unfortunately, the world is lurking with dangerous predators and substances. When you educate your child on the harmful things of this world, they will be equipped to handle any dangerous situation as it arises.
