As you leave your student here on campus, there will be millions of things you’ll want to tell them before you leave. You’ll think of a list of things to remind them about so when you leave their clothes still get washed and they get good grades, eat healthy and still make some friends. You don’t need to rattle off this entire list before you leave them on campus, and a good phone call or text should suffice to remind them of the various wisdoms you have. While there are lots of different things you can help them with, these are some of the most important things you might feel like shooting them a text when you’re missing them at home.

Wash your clothes and wash them right
You think by age 18 most people know how to wash clothes without ruining them, but from my experience of waiting in my dorm laundry room, I’ve seen many confused kids throw not only lights and darks together but also pour about half the detergent bottle into the washer. Make sure to text or call your kid once in a while to remind them the proper way to do laundry, especially if this is your kid’s first time doing their own laundry. Make sure to remind them what clothes they have need to be hang dried and what clothes need to be washed separately. They might do this at the beginning of the year, but as the year moves on and they start to get a little lazier, a good reminder from mom or dad will help them stay on track.

Eat some fruits and vegetables
Again, you might be thinking to yourself, “do I really have to remind my kid to eat healthy?” Please let me tell you, yes. Even if your kid has been downing broccoli and strawberries their whole life without you even asking, college food is another ballpark. It’s easy to obtain junk food and becomes much more difficult to obtain healthy food. Even though you literally be able to hear them roll their eyes over the phone, a good nudge will remind them to grab the apple over the fries next time.

Work hard, but grades aren’t everything
This is something you’ll have to remind yourself, too. All parents will want their students to come home with a 4.0, but it’s important to remember this isn’t high school anymore. College can be really hard, and even if your student is working their best, their grades may not reflect that. Remember to give them a call before their really tough exam, check in and make sure they’re studying but also remind them their grades aren’t everything. Remind them of the qualities they have that aren’t reflected on a grading scale. In turn, this will make them work harder and not beat themself up so much if their grades don’t always turn out the way they wanted.

This is a very short list of things you should remind your student, and every family will have some personal ones you’ll want to call and remind them of. Like I said earlier, college is hard and can get your student down sometimes. Most importantly, make sure to remind your student you love them.

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