Very few football players are mature enough at 17 or 18 years old, to go off to college and not fall victim to distractions. Smart parents prep for this early!

Support Team

The “Support Team,” surrounding your son should span past the football coaches and athletic facility. Every college athlete without a well-defined and engaged “Support Team,” is extremely vulnerable to distractions and lost opportunity. Mentors, Pastors, Past Coaches, Family Members, Family Friends and Business Professionals, are all great possibilities to start developing your son’s “Support Team.”

Maturity

Reflect upon your son’s maturity and be honest with yourself about where he stands. Maturity, will be a key factor in his ability to minimize any slip-ups once he arrives at college.

Is your son girl crazy? Does your son love to stay up late at night? Is he a professional procrastinator?

These are all signs of a young man that has a little growing up to do. But what do you expect? College is all about learning. As parents, you should anticipate possible bumps in the road and have a game plan if the situation presents itself.

Money Habits

Money should be a topic well before your son goes off to college. Start them off with a checking account and a debit card, and give them a monthly budget. Use this as an opportunity to start having conversations about Budgets, Taxes, Gross and Net Income now.

Track their expenses when they are away at college. Many times, their bank account statements will inform you on their lifestyle more than they will.

Communication

If things are going great, communication will be consistent. If things are getting off-track, communication may suffer.

Now keep in mind. You son will be more busy than he has ever been once he arrives at college. So don’t take the limited communication personally. But with that being said, he should be able to squeeze in a call once a week and definitely bi-weekly.

Pay attention to their self-talk, tone and attitude during your conversations. Try to video chat with them as much as possible. It’s your job to make sure your child is okay when they first go off to college. No one knows them like you do. Communicate consistently to keep them motivated and focused on their goals!

(Before You Go Pro is more than just a blog. We are also a mentoring program that works with aspiring college football players across the country. Click the link below to schedule a FREE consultation today)