The end of high school is an exciting time. Teens legally become adults at age 18, and it’s right around that time that they finish high school and decide what to do next with their lives. As their parent, you’re likely feeling a little bit sentimental right about now. Weren’t they just running around in diapers?
While they might legally be an adult any day now, that doesn’t mean that they’re prepared to handle life on their own–yet. You as their parent have a few opportunities to show your love and help prepare them for the real world, and the life ahead of them. Without further ado, here are some of the ways you can help your teen prepare for graduation. 
Help Them Choose a Career
Probably the biggest decision facing your teen is: what am I going to do now? It’s hard to pick your life path when you’re only seventeen years old. For your teen, they may have a clear idea of what they’d like to do, or they may feel completely lost. Instead of sitting them down and pressuring them into a certain career, help them understand their strengths. It’s never too early to start noticing and complimenting your teen’s strengths. (They might be unaware of them.) “You really have a gift for empathy.” “You communicate really well.” “You’re amazing with numbers.” These small encouragements could help your teen understand what career is best suited to their skills.
Help Them Choose a School
Once a career path is chosen, your son or daughter will need to decide what college or tech school they’re attending to acquire their education. Their career choice and savings will help determine what they can afford. Remember, in the last few years of high school, to encourage them to volunteer and take leadership at school. Those kinds of activities could help them win scholarships and save on tuition, making a better school available.
Encourage Independence
While there’s nothing wrong with a student living at home, college will be a formative time for them, and you may want to encourage them to spread their wings completely. If you can help them out with the gift of a car, that will allow them to further exercise their independence, by living on campus or regularly attending campus activities. You can buy a car from your local dealer, whether that’s 1232 Hylan Blvd. Sl, NY, or anywhere else nearby. Besides encouraging them to live on-campus, you can also help them out in the year or two before graduation by teaching them about finances, car repair, and other basic “adult” skills. Don’t pick up their socks; don’t do their laundry. If your teen is going to thrive as an adult after they graduate, they should be facing the responsibilities of one well before that. 
There are many ways you can help your teen prepare for graduation. The three biggest are helping them choose a career, choose a school, and encouraging their independence. Once you’ve helped them in these areas, they’ll be well on their way to a bright future.
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