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Your child should definitely be sent off to college with a cell phone. There are many plans available to fit each budget; family plans, pre-paid minutes, and free calls within certain restrictions are all designed to suit college students well. Before you buy a cell phone for your child, check out the area surrounding the university. See what cell phone service works best in the area and see how far away each cell phone store is from the university. If your child has Cingular and there are only Verizon stores surrounding the area, your child will be in a lot of trouble if his or her phone breaks or gets lost. A cell phone is the easiest way to get in contact with your child. Because of caller identification on the screen, your child can always see when you’re calling and choose to answer if the time is right. Don’t be upset if your child doesn’t answer your call right away; when in a library or hanging with friends, your child will not want to be disturbed and will call you back when ready.
Emailing is another great way to get in contact with your child. They keyword to communication is timing and email allows your child to received and respond to you when the time is most convenient for him or her. Emails can give your child the leeway to say exactly what he or she wants to without feeling the pressure of questions or judgment on the other line. Also, if you just spoke to your child recently and don’t want to bother him or her by calling back to share a new story, emailing can completely delete the “annoying factor�. Just be sure to keep the emails concise; short, enjoyable emails are fun to read, whereas, long emails are a nuisance.
Dorm room phones are the worst way to communicate with your child. A dorm room phone is a system within the university that allows students to call rooms by room number, like in a hotel. Calling your child’s dorm room will catch him or her off guard, and that is the last thing you want to do. Unless your child has caller identification on the dorm room phone, leave that line to friends only.
Be sure to have your child give you the name and number of a close friend or resident advisor whom you can reach if you cannot get in touch with your child in case of emergency. Also, have your child plug in the name “ICE�, which stands for emergency contact information, with your phone number in his or her cell phone. In case of a dire emergency, police and ambulance drivers are trained to look for that name in a victim’s cell phone.
Whatever you do, however upset, angry, or furious you are, do not contact the university or your child’s professors! Your child is now an adult, therefore, he or she must be treated like one and must act like one; your child can take care of his or her own business without mommy stepping in. |
