Back to School: Preparing for the Next Phase of Life

In last week’s News from Around the Bend on smallscalelife.com, I opened the article by talking about kids going back to school. In some cases, our friends are taking their young adults to college for the first time. Julie and I have been there and done that. After all, both of our boys left our house and went to the US Army (Danny) or college (Ryan). We just took Ryan back to Winona, Minnesota, for the next phase of his college career.

Whether you are taking your young adult to college for the first time, to kindergarten for the first time or sending your child to school for another round, we all have feelings of excitement, nervousness and doubt.

Why do we feel this way and what can you do about it?

In this podcast, I am mainly going to focus on young adults going back to school or heading off to college for the first time. A friend is feeling that sense of loss and depression after sending his son to college several states away. He was feeling pretty bad, and I wanted to respond to some of his questions in this podcast.

The bottom line is that you have to let these young adults launch and start to explore their world. We are going to have to give up some control; these young adults are out of sight and out of “reach” (so to speak). You don’t have control, and you need to let them learn.

On the other hand, there are some things we can do to prepare for this phase of life. We need to have a plan in case things go awry. Life happens, and it can catch you by surprise if you don’t have a plan. At the same time, there are some things we need to do to think about the next phase of OUR LIVES. Yes, the kids are going to leave the nest, so what comes next?

Remember: failing to plan is planning to fail. We want you to be the best you, so start to put that thinking cap on, make some plans and execute!

Topics Discussed – Preparing for the Next Phase of Life

We have a plan for the next phase of life. Do you?

I discuss the following topics in this podcast to help you with preparing for the next phase of life after dropping your young adult at school.

Back to School

• Young Adults heading to school – heading to college for the first time
• Feelings of excitement, nervousness and loss of control
• Young Adults are leaving the protective bubble and starting to learn
• Parents feel that loss and that time is passing.  Time waits for no one, and suddenly you realize that we are all getting older.  Opportunities have been lost.

Two Steps to Start Preparing for the Next Phase of Life

I have two steps to help you prepare for the next phase of life for your young adults at school and for your life going forward.  Obviously there is more that you can do, but let’s start with these two steps first.

1. Develop a Phone Tree System for Emergencies

Get phone numbers from at least two of your young adult’s close friends.  They travel in packs, so you can get a hold of someone who knows your young adult.

Provide phone numbers to your young adult in case something happens to you.  What’s your plan if something happens to you or your spouse?

Get everyone on the same page in case an emergency happens!

2. Develop a Plan for Your Life (Post Kids)

Start to develop a plan for what comes next once your young adults launch.  What does your life look like?  What do you want to do?  How do you become the best you and live the life you love?

It’s time to dream again! How do you do that?

Dreaming is like a muscle, and if you don’t use it, it can atrophy and get very weak.  You have to exercise those muscles to make them big, flexible and strong. Listen to the Small Scale Life Podcast titled “How to Dream Big, Set Goals and Take Steps to Achieve Them” for some tips and ideas on how to dream again. 

Once you set your dreams, you will need the cash to make it happen.  You can start to set yourself up for success in the future by using the FREE Small Scale Life Budgeting Bundle!

Start budgeting and preparing for the next phase of your life today!