“First step: try not to freak out. Second step: listen and validate. Third step: have a plan! When the college student you’re so proud of drops the “I have decided I’m not going back to school” bomb, there are a lot of ways you can respond. Notice how I didn’t say ‘react?’ If you react, it will most likely come from a deep-seeded place filled with subconscious beliefs and values. Shock, frustration, disappointment, shame, and indifference are only a couple responses you might have. Although you may be feeling all of these, for the sake of your young adult’s well-being, please keep them to yourself. Freaking out will only create a traumatic moment in your relationship and send them down a shame spiral that may feel temporarily hopeless in getting out of. No matter how much emphasis you put on education, right in this moment you’ve got to let that go.”
