The COVID-19 pandemic has gotten in the way of many college students’ typical on-campus experiences. A lot of colleges have chosen to offer online instruction. This situation has pushed many college students to move back in with their parents. What can parents do to support their children and get used to living with them again?

Setting expectations with your young adult children

• Have a family meeting to set rules and expectations with your children. These could be running errands, cleaning the house, or having quiet hours for sleeping.
• Young adults are independent. You should respect their independence when deciding on house rules.
• Treat your children as adults. They might be more mature and helpful if you work together with them to agree on how much they should help around the house.
• If you also live with your older household members, assign one person to go grocery shopping, and run errands for the entire family. This is to prevent spreading the virus to older household members.

Ways to support your college-age children

• Be empathetic. Your college student is most likely feeling very stressed, anxious, and sad because of losing another college term.
• Promote flexibility. Talk with your kid about how to deal with sudden changes that could affect their school work.
• Be interested in their learning. Ask them questions to connect with them since it could be harder for them to socialize with their friends.
• Be patient with them. If your child is looking for a job to help with home expenses, be understanding that it’s much harder to do that. Talk with them and think of other ways for them to help around the house.
• Don’t expect too much from your children at this time. Their online classes might take up most of their time. If they’re a graduating student, don’t expect them to get their “dream job” during the pandemic.

Have questions or curious to learn more? Please reach out to our Health Center and make an appointment to speak with a doctor.  AACI provides services in English, Spanish, Mandarin, Cantonese, Vietnamese, and many other languages. Call (408) 975-2763 to schedule your appointment today!