Stillwater mother offers tips on preparing child for college

CARLA HINTON, Religion Editor Comments 1
Published: July 30, 2009

Shanon Eaton of El Reno sent four children to Oklahoma State University.

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Eaton, 54, said she and her husband, David, liked Stillwater so much that they ended up buying the Coney Island burger joint there. They owned the restaurant for about six years and met hundreds of college students during that time.

"I always tell people I went to Stillwater with four children and left with 400!” she said.

"I have seen the ‘helicopter’ parents who practically move in with their children, the freshmen who have never been away from home and the students whose parents apparently thought that sending their children to college meant their parental duties were over.”

Eaton draws on her experience to offer the following tips for parents as they prepare to send their children away to college:

→Start preparing your children well in advance. "Teaching them responsibility for themselves at an early age will help them more than anything.”

→Once they are on campus, give them some time to acclimate. "For the first few weeks, let them call you. Believe me, most of them will. I liked to send funny cards about once a week for the first month or so, sometimes with $5 or $10 tucked inside or a gift card for gas or pizza.”

→If you visit, offer to take your child’s roommate or new friend to dinner with you. "They will love a free meal, and it is a great way to get to know the new people in your child’s life.”

→Don’t ask too many questions. "Let them share their experiences in their own time. Be interested but don’t be nosy.”

→Make sure your children know that you will love them no matter what and that they can turn to you at any time. "Assure them that everyone messes up occasionally, and you don’t expect them to be perfect.”

→Mom and Dad know best. "The best part of all is that by the end of their freshman year, you will somehow be much smarter than you were at the beginning of the year. Sometimes they find out Mom and Dad really do know what they are talking about!”