Spring Break: Degeneration or Regeneration

Spring Break ... a time of fun and frivolity but there are also some choices that college students can make that have serious, long term consequences.

Spring Break is a dilemma for us parents.

I know personally when Spring Break rolled around I tried to offer some other options that were as appealing, as going to the Caribbean Islands or to the beaches where there is a lot of drinking, drug use and promiscuous sex.

Both Boys And Girls...

A lot of parents of boys think that they don't have anything to worry about, and I do think that girls are at a much higher risk, but there are risks for boys as well.

Consider that in some cases students are actually looking for the parents to say no and to not finance this type of activity. This gives them an out.

My suggestion to parents is, if you don't feel comfortable with it, then don't finance it.

Choices that Work...

Some alternatives that might work are community service, volunteer projects, habitats for humanity type of trips. Be creative. One parent I know sent their archeology major on a 2 week dig in France.

Maybe there is a best friend that lives across the country. Or, a family friend or relative that the college student has been wanting to go visit. Offer this as an option for Spring Break versus a place like Cancun or a beach community.

Skills With Adrenalin...

Spring Break is a great time to learn a skill. This is an opportune time to learn a skill, it could be a guitar intensive, a language intensive, or it could be learning to sky dive, or SCUBA dive. There could be some other recreational activities your student could learn that, if you have the financial resources to pay for them, could help your student in a positive way.

So, offer them something that is exciting, but doesn't involve the drinking or drugs you see at traditional Spring Break venues.

For more insights into safer Spring Breaks and how you can help, order Dr. Debi Yohn's book ТParenting College Students: 27 Winning Strategies for Success.У It can help you and your college student have the best chance a successful college experience. You can also speak to Dr. Yohn privately and confidentially through her coaching program...click here for more information.