Preparing To Welcome Your Teen Back From Boarding School

As stressful as the decision to send your teen to boarding school may have been, odds are that you’ve adapted to life with them living away at school. Indeed, you miss them. But you’ve adjusted, and your household's dynamic likely changed a bit in their absence.

As the date of your teen coming back home approaches, you may start to feel the stress and anxiety creeping back in.

How can you prepare your home, the other members of your family, and yourself for your teen’s return? We’ve got a few tips to help you along the way.

Remember, There’ll be an Adjustment Period

As you prepare for your teen to return from boarding school, remember that there will be an adjustment period once your teen comes home. He’s become comfortable living at boarding school, and he’s become accustomed to living at boarding school. Returning home, even for a short break, will be an adjustment for him.

Prepare for your teen to feel anxiety and perhaps be a little withdrawn as he tries to work through how he feels.

Getting structure and boundaries in place

One of the boarding school focuses will be teaching your teen new boundaries in a structured environment. To help your teen adapt to life at home, you’ll need clear boundaries for your household.

The house rules must apply to everyone, not just your teen. Structure is essential to any home with children, particularly teens who haven’t previously had a solid frame at home. Determine what that needs to look like in your home and ensure everyone else in the family is aligned.

Speak With Your Teen’s Therapists

Your teen’s therapists and educators at boarding school will have great insight into how your teen will respond when he gets home. If they have suggestions about how you can set up boundaries and encourage your teen when he gets home, be sure to make a note of them. Ask the questions you have.

Remember that your teen will have goals to work towards when he gets home. If you are aware of them, you can help him work towards them in a constructive and positive way.

If ongoing therapy and other treatment are going to be an essential part of your teen’s life living back at home, be sure to set it up as soon as you can.

Preparing Other Family Members

Your teen’s siblings and other family members may have their own anxiety about your teen coming home from boarding school. Speak with them so that you can understand how they feel and so that you can work towards a solution to help relieve some of that anxiety.

There may be anger and stress, particularly if the relationship was strained before your teen left for boarding school.

Everyone in the family should know that some work may be needed to rebuild those relationships. Trust may also need to be established first, with therapy helping everyone along the way. It may not be a volatile environment, but it could be strained and challenging as every person, your teen included, relearns how to live, and interact with one another.

Setting expectations can also be helpful. This is another part of your teen coming home that his therapists and educators can help with.

Staying Positive and Optimistic

Your teen coming back from boarding school could be a smooth and easy process. But it could have a level of stress and uncertainty about it. The most important thing that you can do to prepare yourself is to look for the positives and be optimistic about the future of your relationship with your teen.

There are many great things to look forward to as your teen reintegrates into the family and household. Work with your teen to establish goals that you can all work on together to strengthen your relationships.

Do you have questions about boarding school life? Perhaps you’re wondering whether a boarding school is the right choice for your teen? Reach out to find out more about life at Liahona Academy and how we can help teens in crisis.