August 19, 2013
Helping new Waterloo parents let go
Orientation days and other events help parents support their student during one of life’s big transitions – moving away to university
For every student who is excited and nervous about starting university this fall, there are parents secretly, and not-so-secretly, experiencing similar anxiety about their children starting this new chapter.
The University of Waterloo’s Student Success Office (SSO) knows that parents play a significant role in their children’s lives and hosts a series of parent orientation programs and events, to help parents move from a parenting to a coaching role.
Tips for parents
Parent Orientation, a one-day companion program to Student Life 101, helps educate parents about the new experiences that both they and their student will go through, and how to see themselves as a partner in their student’s success.
The orientation sessions cover the typical life of a first-year student, faculty expectations and parent transitions. “We offer parents tips and strategies to help their student become independent and successful,” says Courtney Gray, the SSO’s Coordinator, Parent and Family Programs. “Simple things like letting their student unpack their own residence room and creating a plan for regular communication that everyone can live with, help their student feel more confident in their abilities.”
Starting on residence move-in weekend, September 1-2, 2013, parents can attend a condensed version of Parent Orientation, Tips for New Waterloo Families. Run twice each move-in day, parents are coached on how to step back but still stay involved. Topics covered include making contact after the first 48 hours, addressing homesickness without asking “Are you homesick?” and coaching students to explore their own options, are presented in a light-hearted but informative manner.
Sending families off in style
At the end of each move-in day, students and their families are invited to Family Send-off, a celebration of the student’s arrival at Waterloo, with an official greeting from senior administrators and a photo booth to mark the occasion. This is also a gentle way to encourage families to say good-bye to their student and let them begin their new life (and Orientation week) at uWaterloo. Three weeks later, parents can return to campus for Fall Family Day, to visit their student, attend a varsity game and connect with other first-year families.
After saying goodbye that first day, parents and their students will go through many emotions in the subsequent weeks. The SSO offers resources to help parents coach their students throughout the year to develop independence and problem-solving skills to be successful in and out of the classroom.
