For parents with children who are about to graduate from high school, families begin to feel the stress of transitioning to another milestone in their children’s lives applying to and enrolling in college. Aside from having to decide which institution best suits their children, there’s also the added worry of what their child should study, as well as having to cope with the proverbial “empty nest syndrome.” Amidst all this pressure, families may forget to address one of the more insidious phenomena that plague a growing number of first-year college students, and has been the ruin of many a promising child’s student career college alcoholism. [Read more…]
Archives for February 2011
Welcome to Our Blog!
This blog is written by the clinicians at Jonah Green and Associates, a mental health practice based in Kensington, MD that provides quality services for children, teens, families, and adults. It is intended as a resource for families who are seeking to expand their knowledge about mental health and mental health services, and also as a resource for families who are seeking quality mental health services, especially in the mid-Atlantic region. Please feel free to post questions and comments on any of the entries as well as on any topics or articles from our companion web site www.childandfamilymentalhealth.com.
Leaving Home: The Journey of Growing to Adulthood
In her poem “To a Daughter Leaving Home,” Linda Pastan describes her experience of teaching her eight year old daughter how to ride a bike. As her daughter rides away up the street, the mother runs behind to catch up, anxious she might hear a crash. Her daughter laughs and “pumps for her life,” with her hair like a “handkerchief waving goodbye.”
This scene illustrates many of the feelings that parents have as they see their children growing up. On the one hand parents want to encourage independence, and work to teach children the skills they need to be self-sufficient. On the other hand, children’s independence can scare parents: will they be alright on their own? The child’s journey can also leave the parent feeling abandoned. As parents cheer their children on, they also feel the loss of their company.
