Quoted: How to Help Your High School Senior Cope With Having Their Year Cut Short

If you are the parent of a high school senior, watching your student grieve the loss of their final year of high school can be yard. Especially all the milestones that come along with it. You’ve seen your kid work so hard for so long, only to have the celebrations of making it through high school taken away. Though you may feel helpless, there are ways to make this situation a little easier. 

Ask them what they need

As much as you’d like to jump into your caregiver/protector role, check with your child first and ask them what they need right. If they just want to be left alone to play video games, don’t try to push it. “Don’t force conversation, but let your teen know you’re ready to listen when they want to talk,” Raab says. “Don’t give too much advice just yet—we really don’t know enough to give long-term advice at this point.”

Yes, it may be hard to hear that they don’t want your help right now, even harder to see your child upset, but when it comes to coping with the loss of the end of their high school career, let them take the lead. “We hate when our kids have negative feelings and we try to talk them out of it. Don’t do it! It doesn’t help them,” Claudia Luiz, a psychoanalyst tells Lifehacker. “This is a chance to help children feel good about themselves, even when the feelings aren’t all rosy.”

Moon Prep counselor Michaela was quoted in Lifehacker, advising how a high school senior can utilize social media to help with the admissions process:

“It is also a great practice to follow your top schools on social media, as universities will likely increase their online presence during this time, and may be offering additional virtual tours.”

Read the full article on Lifehacker.