Summer Vaction - Part II

Don’t be surprised if they don’t come home this summer exactly resembling the child you knew & loved when they left in the fall. This first year away can instigate some testing of new identities and give them a remarkably premature sense of independence, even though you are still paying all of their bills. We have heard from quite a few families in the past that their cherished daughter or son returned home for the summer with some newly acquired and somewhat annoying habits. Some will be almost eager to correct and point out your shortcomings where before college they just seemed to turn a blind to you. Just try to keep in mind that this is a normal part of the stretching process and will probably pass. They are trying on different identities and comparing you to some of the other authority figures new in their life. Think of it as another leg on their journey towards maturation & independence.