Monday, July 1, 2013

Help Your Child Save Space in their New College Dorm



Watching your child moving out of your home to attend college can be a terribly emotional experience, but shows they have reached a true milestone in their lives, as well. As a parent, whether your child moves to the other side of the country to attend a specialized university or rents an apartment in the next town over to stay local, knowing that they are out on their own can cause separation anxiety and the dreaded empty nest syndrome. Though your hands may be full with helping them pack or throwing a going away party, keep in mind that your child’s living space may suddenly become much smaller once they move out. Often college-bound students lament the loss of their own room, and become resentful of their roommates for no reason other than needing to share a space with them. The following is a list of suggested parting gifts that will help your scholar away from home get along with his or her new roommates.

Scheduling and Time Management Tools
College is a time for educational advancement, which generally means a good deal of studying. While it is integral that a maturing individual is offered the chance at a heightened sense of liberty, it is also important for them to remain courteous and remember the needs of those with whom they live. Give them the ability to record when their roommates like to study, or need “quiet time” for other reasons. This will help your son or daughter to respect roommates’ habits. While you may think your special little boy or girl deserves to do what they want, whenever they want, the room must be shared equally amongst everyone. Reaching a compromise is the only way to maintain a healthy, happy relationship while sharing a room with a new friend.

Supplies for Household Responsibilities
Very few people actually enjoy doing chores, but even fewer tend to enjoy living in a mess. Unfortunately, no one is going to elect to be the dorm room maid, so it’s best to equip your child with the materials they will need to keep a tidy house. Dish soap, bleach, window cleaner, and a miniature vacuum can go a long way, and will leave no excuse for them not to clean up after themselves. Not only will this show that your child is prepared to help out, it will also help to influence others in the room to pull their weight. If one person shows they care about their environment, others will hopefully follow. The result is an overall organized living area.

Something to Help Reduce Space Usage
For a good number of new students the hardest task to achieve may be reducing the amount of space they are used to using. If they had their own room, it was only natural for them to spread out and fill it up. Now, however, half of that space is going to be taken away – even more if the dorm room is smaller than their room back home. There are many products you can purchase that will help them to make room where there previously wasn’t any. For example, if they only have one closet, garment racks and a hanging garment bag can work as a replacement. Also, space under the bed can be utilized for storage of things infrequently needed.

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