It is nearly time to send your young woman off to college, if she graduated this year. Even if you have a few years until the big day, it is important to begin preparing your daughter for this exciting time in her life. The Personal Progress program offers an excellent opportunity for your daughter to be prepared to be on her own in all aspects of her life.
Spiritually you want your daughter to be at a point where she studies the gospel on her own. It is also important that she has a desire to attend church and to continue to live the standards of the gospel. This preparation will take place over many years, and it ultimately is really up to your daughter to make these choices. If you have done all that you can through family home evening, family prayer and scripture study, know that those things will carry with your daughter no matter what she chooses to do.
It is also important to prepare your daughter to handle the financial responsibilities that college life brings. Even if you are helping cover most of the expenses, she will need to learn how to live on a budget, and pay her bills. You may want to take time over a few months to talk to her about this. Allow her to pay some of the bills, and have her open her own account. This will help her to be truly prepared for when she starts a family of her own.
Homemaking skills are also important. Doing the laundry and cooking basic foods will help your daughter to adjust to college life much easier. An easy way to teach these skills is through household chores, but they can be picked up quickly if this hasn’t happened yet. The Personal Progress program has several projects and experiences that should help in these areas as well.
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