Graduation Blues: Create A Survival Kit For The Graduate You Love
Posted: Wednesday, May 07, 2008
by Abigail Richards
Graduation is fast approaching and can seem a little overwhelming for those close to the graduate. You want to tell them how much you love them and prepare them for life at the same time. It is hard because you can think of a million things that you want to make sure you taught the senior, but not spend the remaining minutes lecturing. This is the idea behind a survival kit. This is a great tool to send with your graduate as they embark on their new life as a college student, professional or growing more independent. Here are a few items that must be included in the kit.
Nothing can be more beneficial than a binder of congratulatory or advice letters from friends and family. It is also a great way for your graduate to know they are still loved when they are out of sight. It can also be a way for you to include those last minute teachings.
Journal of Prayers
This is probably the neatest thing you can put in your survival pack. For those reading who has a future graduate, it is not to early to start this. It can be done as a whole extended family or just from the you. Write prayers of thanksgiving for accomplishments in their life, prayers for when they are hurting, prayers for when they are scared, prayers of blessings, for grief and loss, for failures and successes as well as holidays that they may spend away from you. Be sure to include scriptures that have impacted your life and can go along with the prayers. God can meet needs that you never could and especially can't with them on their own.
Photo Albums
Nothing is more consoling when you are homesick then a photo album of pics from the past. Be sure to include pictures from friends and family along with pets.
Coupons
These are great. Provide stamped envelopes for your kids to mail a coupon to cash in at different times throughout the year. They can have only valid during certain dates. The coupons could be for their favorite dessert that you could cook and ship back. It could be for a night on the town in which you could send a movie gift card and restaurant card. It could be a coupon for laundry money-just be creative!
Gift Cards
These are great to include in the pack. Find out what area stores, restaurants, etc. are near where your graduate is living. Then provide them with gift cards valid to these area stores. You will be a hit and you can kind of control how their money is spent.
These are just a few suggestions. You can get as creative as you like. If your child has a certain non-perishable snack, be sure to include it in this box that shows all the love you have for your child. You can include books and magazines to occupy down times as well as dvds to watch and cds of music times you shared. This is a personal way to show your love so think about the memories you have together and make it part of this box.
This Article has been viewed 2,935 times. (Not updated in real-time.)
Top-level comments on this article: (1 total)Very loving thoughts for one to consider. I suspect if it is used, except for the coupons, like a time capsule it might prove to be something people hold onto?Thanks Robert for commenting! I could see that as a great time capsule! What a great suggestion!
We want your comments! If you can read this, you don't have javascript enabled, so you can't use this comment system. Please enable javascript.