Helping Your Teen Launch: Mom’s Guide to College Prep!
This summer, a momma bird built a nest in the planter on our front porch. Honestly, I was so annoyed. I’d heard that once a bird nests, she’ll return each year—and I didn’t love the idea of a porch ‘mess’ on repeat.
But it was too late. She was already here.
June15, 2025 - After seeing the nest in our planter only a few days before, we found four little speckled eggs in our nest today.
Every time we opened the door, she would dart from the flowerpot, startled but never flew far. We could hear her chirping from the tree in the yard or the fence nearby. Day after day, she sat faithfully on her eggs—and just twelve days later, they hatched.
June 27, 2025 The eggs hatched!
The transition from tiny gray blobs to fuzzy little birds with eyes, beaks, and hungry mouths happened fast. Our granddaughter was thrilled. Every visit she asked to see the “bee-bees”, peeking into the planter with wide-eyed wonder.
Then, before we knew it, one by one, all four baby birds left the nest. Slowly, each took off—solo.
July 7, 2025 - This looks similar to every one of my kid’s hospital picture:)
I didn’t realize how much God would remind me of through these tiny, unwanted guests. If you’re a seasoned mom like me, you know how fast time flies. You’ve watched your children grow, face challenges, and stretch their wings. It doesn't take long scrolling through old photos to feel that ache the sand in that hourglass emptying quickly. And suddenly, you understand why that momma bird stayed nearby—watching, waiting, caring from a distance.
Photo Cred Max Williamson @maxwilliamson
As moms, our babies are always our babies—whether under our roof or not.
The real question becomes:
Have we prepared them well?
And if we’re not quite there yet, where can we focus our efforts during this transition?
God often uses simple things to teach deep truths. In His economy, what feels like forever to us is just a moment to Him. Those fuzzy birds in the black planter made that clear.
“But do not forget this one thing, dear friend: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”
Now that your child is stepping into adulthood—off to college, trade school, the military, or their next adventure—it’s normal to feel a mix of sadness, pride, and anxiety. But for myself and my husband, here’s what mattered most to us: praying that our kids would walk with Christ. Without Him, we knew they’d face unavoidable heartache and lessons difficult to watch from the sidelines.
Photo Cred Tim Gouw @punttim
We didn’t do it perfectly—and we did it differently with each of our three. Our kids attended different schools: one at a Texas state university (our alma mater, Wreck Em), one at a private out-of-state college, and one at an in-state private school. Over 12 straight years of having a child in college, we saw all kinds of dorms, apartments, and even one house with six fraternity guys (yes, the kitchen trash toter was the actual trash can from the curb—forever burned in my mind!).
In high school we harped on grades (probably too much), guarded friend groups, kept watchful eyes, and encouraged part-time jobs and activities. But college life was more about them relationally figuring out their new surroundings and making their own choices that would guide their new start in life.
As their parents, part of helping them transition to a life of independence, was `becoming familiar with their new environment, understanding their daily life enough to assist them their thought process if they needed to navigate things in a hurry. (Because when they’re having fun, staying out late, and finding their newfound freedom, dare I say, ‘freeing’, you need those answers in your arsenal. And often, FAST, haha!)
www.drivethrumoms.com
Here are a few things to think about before they head out:
Were we giving them cash on a monthly basis? We opted for fast food gift cards. Their frequent ‘running to the border’ or for the ‘Lord’s chicken’ would find them broke in a hurry if we gave them cash too often.
Did their school have a counseling center? Transitions can be difficult, and most schools offer free counseling on campus.
What if they needed a tutor? This comes up about late October, after first & second rounds of testing.
Does their school have a parent group? One of ours had a GREAT parent group who prayed together locally once a month.
Had we discussed a communication plan? Letting them text me first was HARD, but necessary.
Most schools offer parent groups. Although some of the posts can be over the top, we could post in a parent group if one of ours was stuck on the freeway and a fellow ‘alum’ would help out.
Were we still going to use their ‘locator’ app? We did on all of ours, and I would do it again. It was when they turned it off, that signaled me to pray even harder, IKYKY:)
What kind of extra-curricular groups would they be interested in? Making friends early on was crucial, and encouraging them to join at least one group made all the difference in their transition.
Are you ok with letting them fail on their own? As adults they have to figure it out, but if they’re in college, you ARE probably paying for it:) Figure out how you would handle it, when they run into trouble.
This list is not exhaustive, but I hope it gives you some ideas to discuss with your student and spouse as you step into a new season. Encouraging our kids to focus on the Lord made us sound like a broken record. But putting God first is a plumbline for every believer, especially one settling into new surrounds for the first time in eighteen years.
It’s not about grades, money, sororities or fraternities, it’s about their growth into men and women of integrity that follow God’s leading and listen for his voice.
So today, I pray for the Class of 2025 and beyond—and for the moms dropping them off.
If you’re looking for ideas of things to send your college student—or items we found helpful—I’ve made a *list HERE.
You’ve got this, Momma, because God’s got you.
www.drivethrumoms.com
*I curated this list for moms sending their kiddos off into the world. I make a small commission on them, but it’s no extra cost to you. I hope you enjoy the list.