Boarding Parents
Individual Coaching for Boarding Parents
In Australia, thousands of parents seeking high-quality secondary education for their children make the choice to enrol their child into a boarding school and indeed some parents have no choice due to the proximity of a secondary school close by. Australian boarding schools also have a high number of overseas children attending with their parents living far abroad.
Parents generally know and hear about the positive benefits of boarding education (i.e. the structured environment, high-quality education, and exposure to strong community values) and indeed some were boarders themselves. Yet sending a child far away from the comfort of home during a time of major developmental and physiological change can be daunting or challenging for parents and children. Then once enrolled or after day one parents will often wonder:
Have I prepared her enough for the academic and social demands of boarding school?
- Are we doing the right thing?
- Will he be okay?
- Will she fit in?
- How will we remain connected when she is so far away?
- Homesickness or child-sickness.
- Will he make new friends?
- Handling issues and concerns from afar.
- Maintaining communication.
- Keeping up with their teenager's rapid changes.
- Family dynamics when she comes home.
New Resource for Boarding Parents
It is my pleasure to finally - after several years in the making - write the e-book Parenting from a Distance: Positive ideas for parents of boarding school students. This book is designed to express ways where parents can feel confident and reassured to be able to meet the challenges of parenting from a distance.
There is no doubt that boarding school students and their parents have additional and quite unique challenges due to the fact that they are apart. However,boarding schools today in Australia are very proactive and equipped to provide wonderful guidance and support to the young people they care for.
My sincere admiration goes out to boarding parents on the love and dedication they give to their teenagers attending boarding school so far away. I am also continually grateful for the support that I receive from boarding school parents and Heads of Boarding.
I hope that this book makes a difference - big or small - to you and your very precious teenager.
Parenting From a Distance: The eBook
Effective Ideas for Boarding School Parents
Instead of worrying about your teenager's transition into boarding school and ongoing success, suppose that you feel more confident and reassured than ever before. Parenting from a Distance identifies the most common challenges that parents of boarding students may face and offers specific ideas on how to meet these with confidence and optimism.
Click to download a copy for your Kindle.
It doesn't matter if you are a future, new or current boarding parent; this book will help. It's easy to read and designed to be printed and filed into your own designated parent file so that you can look back over your time as a boarder parent.
What You Will Find Inside The Book
Chapter 1: The Unique Situation of Boarding Parents
- Outcomes of this book
- Overview of what the book covers
- How to work through ideas and strategies
- About the author
Chapter 2: Preparation
- The positive aspects of boarding
- Choosing a school
- Addressing your fears or concerns as a parent
- Addressing your teen's fears, worries, and questions before they arrive
- Preparing your teenager for a new environment – at home and at school
- Establishing expectations, boundaries, and methods of communication
- Setting up positive relationships with school administrators, teachers, and boarding staff
Chapter 3: Settling In
- Saying goodbye
- How to "prime" yourself
- What to expect in the first few weeks
- Common challenges for students and parents
- Dealing with homesickness
Chapter 4: Communication
- Logistics of Communication
- Establish a routine, yet allow flexibility too
- Maintaining regular contact
- Get creative: positive ideas for staying in touch
- Plan together for holidays and breaks
- A New Approach
- Kids are Dogs: Teens are Cats
- The analogy of Co-Pilot
- Parents are heroes
- Common Barriers to Communication
- Being aware of the "deadly habits" that block positive communication
- The Seven Caring Habits verses The Seven Deadly Habits
- Bring out your Teenager's Best Self
- Encouraging positive self-esteem and identity
- The concept of "peppering"
- Know yourself: identify your own positive qualities
- Role model: walk your talk of self-respect
- Express your appreciation
- Express your Appreciation and Gratitude
- Express your appreciation at every opportunity
- Determine your son or daughter's love language
- Listening from a Distance
- Reflect on the way you listen
- What is empathy?
- Being aware of the "way" you choose to listen
- Language that leads to open communication
- Short sentences that lead to more
Chapter 5: Supporting your Teenager from a Distance
- Support your teenager's resilience
- What is resilience?
- What might resilience look like?
- Supportive parenting: a protective factor for your teenager
- Example scenario: support verses rescue
- How often do you refrain from giving advice?
- "Open" questions to encourage individual problem solving and ownership
- Empowering parent "one-liners"
- Support your teenager to think like an optimist
Chapter 6: The Art of Negotiation and Agreement
- The process of decision and agreement: The model of accountability
- The model of accountability in action
- The principles of a natural consequence
- Natural consequences, choice, and the language to use
- Examples of natural consequences
- A parent's guide to establishing their bottom line
Chapter 7: Dealing with Challenges Along the Way
- Academics
- Extracurricular activities and interests
- Social
- Personal well-being
- Financial: money management
- Planning for the future
Chapter 8 and 9: Modelling from a Distance and Conclusion