Helping Your Teenager to Move Out

Man putting packing tape on box

When it’s time for your teenage son to move out of the house and be on his own, you can do more than just hire some moving companies in Marietta, Georgia. You can also help him prepare to be truly independent. If you don’t know how to go about this, don’t worry. Most parents don’t have a clue about how to prepare their children to become independent. Fortunately, the suggestions below might be able to help you with your situation:

Laundry skills

You have to start small when you’re preparing your son for the big move. Waiting to move out can already be overwhelming for him, so there’s no need to burden him further. Start with something simple such as washing his clothes.

If you haven’t done this before, it’s the perfect time to teach your son the basics of washing his own clothes. He should know which clothes will shrink if he uses the wrong soap or if he uses the wrong temperature in the washing machine. Also, he needs to know how to hand-wash his clothes in case he doesn’t have enough money for the local launderette. In addition to that, he needs to know how to iron his clothes.

cleaning essentials

Cleaning skills

Your son should know how to clean a room before he steps out of your house and into his own apartment. Teach him how to use a broom, mop and wax the floor, and clean all the dishes without a dishwasher.

But cleaning the apartment is not the only skill he needs to learn. He should also know how to fix appliances, furniture, and even the floor. He should also know how to fix the plumbing. Hiring someone to fix these things could be expensive. Your son should be able to take on the task of fixing his stuff to minimize his expenses. Also, being able to fix stuff will boost his confidence.

Cooking skills

Before your child leaves the nest, he should know how to cook. Teach him by giving him the task of cooking dinner every now and then. Don’t just let him cook food by frying everything he could find in the freezer. Teach him to properly cook with the use of a cook book. Or you can even let him watch YouTube videos on cooking.

Budgeting skills

This is one of the most important skills your son should learn; otherwise, he won’t make it as an adult. It could be hard for your child to learn how to budget his money, considering that he barely did that when he was still living under your roof. Go easy on him and give him time to learn.

What you can do is that before he’s set to leave your house, give him one financial responsibility in your home, like the groceries. If he’s set to leave your house the following year, as early as today teach him to save enough money to buy milk, vegetables, and frozen food for the house.

This way, he’ll learn to avoid spending money carelessly. He’ll learn the value of money. He’ll also learn that certain sacrifices should be made to live comfortably. If back then he used to spend most of his lunch money on snacks or the movies, now he’ll have to pull back from spending too much.

You should teach your son how to deal with the difficulty of being on his own. It’s an important skill that your son will have a lot of use for. Growing up means having to deal with adversity without you having to bail him out all the time.

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