Making TEA
To Parents of the Class of 2014...Transition and Change Are At Your Doorstep!
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
It’s that time of year! I just received a text from Clark University/my alma mater, about the imminent arrival of the class of 2014. I have a friend with a son going to Clark, and I thought of this young man and my friend. I wrote to ask her how preparations for the big day are progressing. She has yet to respond, but it made me think of how they are both getting ready for a big change, and it made me hope that they have been working on the transition from life-at-home to life-at-college.
For all involved, it’s a time of anticipation, excitement, anxiety, confusion, imagining the future, short tempers-just a zillion different emotions! Ultimately, it is a time of change, transition, possibility and, perhaps, transformation.
Where do you think you are, in understanding the series of events that comprise the move from home to campus? Getting clear on your thoughts, feelings, questions, and concerns will help you become more aware and present during this time.
I would suggest reading through the words and their definitions below, and then identifying where you are on this path at this moment. And, if you’re a parent of a senior or a junior... Read and reflect. Think through how you want the next year (or two) to be... and start down that path. If I can help, contact me!
• Change-to make the form, nature, content, future course, etc., of (something) different from what it is or from what it would be if left alone* In my thinking, change is an event: Your daughter is living at home today, tomorrow she’s living with a roommate in a residence hall.
• Transition- movement, passage, or change from one position, state, stage, subject, concept, etc., to another* And, transition is the emotional component of change... which starts before the actual event/change and lasts afterward. Your son has been talking about college and stepping into a new life, full of possibilities and opportunities. I love William Bridge’s book, Transitions: Making Sense of Life’s Changes.
• Possibility-the state or fact of being possible (sometimes dictionaries are frustrating to use), Possible- that may or can be, exist, happen, be done, be used*
• Transformation-a change or alteration, esp. a radical one, transform-to change in form, appearance, or structure; metamorphose; to change in condition, nature, or character; convert*
from www.Dictionary.com
Jill's Website is www.MajorInYou.com
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For all involved, it’s a time of anticipation, excitement, anxiety, confusion, imagining the future, short tempers-just a zillion different emotions! Ultimately, it is a time of change, transition, possibility and, perhaps, transformation.
Where do you think you are, in understanding the series of events that comprise the move from home to campus? Getting clear on your thoughts, feelings, questions, and concerns will help you become more aware and present during this time.
I would suggest reading through the words and their definitions below, and then identifying where you are on this path at this moment. And, if you’re a parent of a senior or a junior... Read and reflect. Think through how you want the next year (or two) to be... and start down that path. If I can help, contact me!
• Change-to make the form, nature, content, future course, etc., of (something) different from what it is or from what it would be if left alone* In my thinking, change is an event: Your daughter is living at home today, tomorrow she’s living with a roommate in a residence hall.
• Transition- movement, passage, or change from one position, state, stage, subject, concept, etc., to another* And, transition is the emotional component of change... which starts before the actual event/change and lasts afterward. Your son has been talking about college and stepping into a new life, full of possibilities and opportunities. I love William Bridge’s book, Transitions: Making Sense of Life’s Changes.
• Possibility-the state or fact of being possible (sometimes dictionaries are frustrating to use), Possible- that may or can be, exist, happen, be done, be used*
• Transformation-a change or alteration, esp. a radical one, transform-to change in form, appearance, or structure; metamorphose; to change in condition, nature, or character; convert*
from www.Dictionary.com
Jill's Website is www.MajorInYou.com
Email Jill at
Jill's Blog
Friend Her on Facebook
Follow Jill on Twitter
