Parental Support

Prior to Your Son or Daughter's Departure

• Familiarize yourself with the philosophy of the program on which they are about to embark
• Talk about their goals and expectations in studying abroad
• Talk about any fears or apprehensions they may have
• Ensure them that they have your support
• While offering limited assistance, encourage them to take responsibility for predeparture logistics and paperwork
• Read the General and School-specific handbooks, links to which you will receive prior to their departure
• Help organize their finances while abroad
• Make sure that they have adequate health insurance coverage (though Middlebury provides this for students attending Middlebury Schools Abroad)
• Confirm as soon as possible that their passport is valid and extends at least six months beyond the end of the program
• Check in periodically with them to confirm that they are gathering the necessary paperwork to secure a visa, if required
• Investigate the possibility of securing a power of attorney on their behalf so that the processing of documents in their absence will be easy

When Your Son or Daughter is Abroad

• Encourage independence and self-reliance
• Do not accompany them to the host country at the start of the program
• Understand that all students will experience culture shock and that this may have a significant impact on what they are communicating to you about the experience
• Allow them the time and space to develop a support network abroad rather than relying totally on the one back home
• Avoid too frequent e-mail or phone communication, which can interfere both with language learning and with integration into the host culture
• Avoid visiting while the academic program is in session

When Your Son or Daughter Returns Home

• Recognize that they have had a life-changing experience and that, while you may have remained more or less the same, they are probably not the same person they were before going abroad
• Let them share the experience with you as much as they want
• Understand that they may experience re-entry culture shock and that this can be even more intense than the original culture shock on arrival abroad
• Gather information for yourself and them regarding the re-entry experience.  http://www.sit.edu/SSA_Other_documents/parent_reentry_handbook.pdf is an excellent starting point.