Page 15 - UMKC Parent and Family Insider

U READY?
Communication tips from experienced college parents:
· “Set a time frame for calling them before school starts in the fall,” Amy recommended. “It may not be as often as you like but this way it’s more likely to happen.”
· Remember that no news is usually good news. “When my son needed emotional support or had urgent questions, he called right away,” Laura said.
· “A single ‘yup’ as a text reply to a longer communication is not a bad sign,” Pamela said.
· Care packages and letters from home are a way to reach out with no strings attached.
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What about when the call inally comes and the person on the other end of the phone is in tears? “The transition to college life can be challenging, bumpy and overwhelming,” Sarah observed. “Because of the ease of electronic communications, you may get some frantic or upset phone calls.”
Her advice: “Don’t panic, don’t over- advise, don’t overreact. The best thing
to do is to listen, and if you must ask questions, make them open-ended. ‘How are you going to handle that? What do you think you will do?’” It took time but she got the hang of not always believing everything she was told. “Sometimes they just need to vent.”