Preparing your child for adulthood is one of the most important things that you can do. It is a huge step – from living under your parent’s roof and having them support you financially and emotionally, to being expected to support themselves and become an independent member of society. Even with preparation, it is a daunting prospect – but you can certainly make it a lot easier for them. 

Prepare them for work

Depending on the path your child decides to take, they will be moving from school or college to work at around 18 years old, or university to work a few years later. While they are technically adults, when this happens, if they have little experience in the working world, they will struggle. There are various school to work transition programmes to support students, but one thing that you can do as a parent is to encourage them to get a part-time or weekend job. This is a lot more difficult than it used to be when weekend shifts were the domain of sixth formers and university students up and down the country. Now, these positions are much more likely to filled by employees on zero-hour contracts, which makes jobs harder, but certainly not impossible, to find. 

By working alongside studying, they are gaining valuable experience in application and interview techniques, working as part of a team and overall working life experience. These are all things that future employers will be looking for once they have graduated.

Teach them to budget

This is one of the biggest challenges facing many young adults. They may well have had pocket money as children and had to save up to buy things they want, but suddenly, they are faced with mobile phone bills and contracts and expensive social life. Whether you give them an allowance or they earn money through a part-time job, it is essential to teach them how to manage that money. If they need to borrow money from you to see them through to the end of the month, consider adding interest to the amount they have to pay back, to show them the reality of getting into debt.

Teach them to communicate

This is a lot easier said than done when you are dealing with teenagers – after all, for most of them, their preferred method of communication is social media and the occasional grunt in your direction! However, it is important that they are able to communicate clearly, politely and effectively with other adults. If you are still in the habit of phoning up to make their doctor or dentist appointments – stop. If they have a job and need to phone in sick, let them do it themselves. By encouraging them to communicate, you are giving them a valuable tool for adulthood. 

With a little bit of effort and preparation, you can help your teen enter the adult world with a strong foundation and sense of direction and responsibility.