<p>For prep school students/parents: how did you/your child prepare for the almost inevitable homesickness? I'm pretty scared...</p>
<p>I am not at BS and do not have a child who is, but here is me semi-valid opinion:</p>
<p>Depending on your personality, you are going to contact home A LOT in your first few months away. Slowly, as you begin to think of BS as ‘home,’ your contact will slow down. (But it all depends on what kind of person you are.)</p>
<p>I would bring things to 1. make you feel at home and 2. make you remember home (pictures, little mementos, etc.) </p>
<p>I hope this meant at least a little to you! I can provide absolutely no advice towards preparing for homesickness, but you’re past step one, which is to just be aware of it!</p>
<p>My daughter says this : “keep busy”!</p>
<p>I took my dog with me to BS and it worked.</p>
<p>When I began prep school i got homesick and i think one of the biggest things that helped me was talking to my parents - about what was going on in the school. </p>
<p>Bridging the gap between parents and school was a great way to get over some of the homesickness I felt, and it allowed me to get more connected to the school because I was looking for more things to tell my parents about. Find something to be excited about. </p>
<p>Additionally, parents can visit the campus. Mine did, when my sister felt really homesick, but some advice from the school was to <em>not</em> take her home, because it could worsen the feelings. </p>
<p>Other than that, bonding with people is great and keeping busy is great as well. You can also find the part of the day when you (or the kid) is feeling most homesick and do something then. Late at night? watch a third of a movie. Do a puzzle. Play a memory game. and, of course, do homework. </p>
<p>hope i helped!</p>
<p>Right now I don’t know personally how it feels, but next year I will. However, my friend who’s at Andover right now told me that at first he felt a little homesick, but what helped him was just keeping busy. Also being around his friend was good because it distracted him from focusing on the bad. He was also in contact with his parents at least 1-2 times a week.</p>
<p>pwalsh I didn’t know boarding schools allowed dogs?</p>
<p>And parents-- please know that YOU will feel a “reverse homesickness” too… you will notice that the dining table is smaller and quieter and you can get easier access to the remote-- and you will miss him or her more than you imagine. During the drop off at Exeter, the school had a session for parents about this issue-- that is often overlooked.</p>
<p>Thanks everybody! Keep the advice coming; it’s great.</p>
<p>The most helpful advice we got about our kid’s homesickness was that it WAS a sickness. Like many viruses, it comes on suddenly, came seem absolutely awful and life-ending when it peaks, but it does, inevitably pass. </p>
<p>Calls and internet chatting home helped. Skyping seemed to make things worse. Having a ratty old comforter and a few treasured items from childhood (the stuff that at first you might feel too embarrassed to bring with you) helps. Reaching out and letting advisers and others know helps. Mostly, time helps.</p>
<p>Classicalmama is right on the money. To her excellent points, I’d like to add a few thoughts:</p>
<p>Knowing that some homesickness is inevitable is actually a good place to start. When it hits, you can follow an action plan made from any of the suggestions on these pages. And don’t worry–It’s pretty common for most kids to experience some sadness and anxiety.</p>
<p>There’s nothing wrong with seeking out an adult to talk to. If you and your advisor click, that’s great. If not, consider a dorm parent, a coach or activity director or classroom teacher that you like. Sometimes kids just present themselves to me and say “Do you have some time to talk? I’m really homesick.” You don’t need to feel embarrassed; almost every adult at boarding school has helped a kid with homesickness at some point. (I certainly get a lot of them!)</p>
<p>You can also talk with a school counselor. It’s an adult who cares about your well-being whose job it is to listen and give advice. Don’t think that counselors are only for incredibly serious situations; our counselors often deal with issues of homesickness and adjusting to boarding school life. Plus, adults who go into school counseling tend to be really nice!</p>
<p>I’ve seen kids strike up conversations with kids from their hometowns, even if they weren’t close at home. Sometimes it helps to talk with someone who has walked in the same places you have. Finally, if your dorm has upperclassmen as “proctors” on your dorm, you can go to him or her and ask how s/he handled homesickness in the early days. </p>
<p>The important thing to remember is that you are not alone, and the feeling will pass.</p>
<p>Bumpity bump bump. Bump bump. (Did you guys read that as a song too or was it just me?)</p>
<p>^ I did. hahaha</p>
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<p>…look at Frosty go!</p>
<p>Of course I did. :)</p>