Christianity Today has posted the article I wrote for them on preparing teens for college. It appeared in their March 2012 issue. I divided the article into these sections:
College: A Launching Pad into Adulthood
Character Development: Drive and Discipline
Exploring Academic Interests and Developing Passions
Discovery of Talents
Conclusions
(In the print version, I had also a section called “Is College a Given?”)
Here’s a snapshot from the Conclusions section:
As parents, what can we do to help prepare our children to succeed in college?
1. Love them enough to set high expectations and give them a vision of Christian excellence: Living fruitfully for God’s glory in the strength that he supplies (1 Pet. 4:11), and in a manner consistent with our gift set. Keep in mind that they’ll live up—or down—to our expectations.
2. Find that delicate balance between protecting them from major harm, yet allowing them to stumble so they can learn from their mistakes and misjudgments.
3. Encourage them regularly but also help them accurately recognize their weaknesses.
4. Live what we preach: Pursue Christian responsibility and excellence in our own lives, apologize when we fall short, and be transparent and authentic with them.