How can you prepare your teen to leave home feeling confident?

We love our kids and want to do whatever we can to make them happy and this sometimes involves doing a bit too much sometimes. If you have a teen who is due to leave home later this year to go to college, go travelling or move out, how can you gently but firmly shift your focus from rescuer to coach?

Tip 1. Skills and competencies they already have and a list of those they need

You have been showing them the way all their life, doing things for them and showing them how to do things for themselves and they know more than they think they do. These skills are stored in their subconscious.

Exercise

Make a list of all the things you're pretty sure they can do already and check it with them. Maybe they can add other things to the list, maybe they just need a little reminder about some things.

What would they like to add to the list?

With that new list, ask them if there's something similar that they can do?

If not, who could show them how to do that thing, or could they watch a you tube video?

How…