“A Hope and A Future” : Practical Tips to Stay Positive During Your Child’s Senior Year

The summer of 2022 was filled with dread.  My oldest child was about to start his senior year of high school, and I was simply not having it.  During his entire junior year, I feared what was to come.  My “baby” was going to leave, everything would change, and none of it sounded fun or exciting.  I was grieving the end of this chapter.  One “might” say I wasn’t handling it well at all. And one would be correct.

Thankfully one morning while spending time praying about my sadness, I received some perspective.  My son deserved for me to be excited about this next stage.  Like genuinely, truly excited – not just pretending to be happy for him.  And that is what I wanted.  I wanted to enjoy this season and be grateful for the opportunities that awaited him.  The Lord prompted me to focus on praying for all the exciting things ahead, rather than give into the sense of trepidation. In response, I decided to create an intentional prayer guide to follow throughout my son’s senior year.  I counted how many weeks his school year would last and started compiling a list of topics I could pray about each week.  After I finished the list, I knew I wanted to pray scripture over each subject.  I spent time finding a Bible verse that provided instruction or guidance for each week.  Using that verse, I wrote a corresponding prayer. This is how “A Hope and a Future” was born.

Slowly but surely, the Lord changed my heart. I realized that grief for what was ending could co-exist with excitement for what was to come.  Change is hard and scary but watching my son’s future unfold was a blessing.  I could hold sadness in one hand and joy in the other and both were legitimate, authentic, and necessary. It was just a matter of perspective and choosing to focus more on the future than the past.

Maybe you’re in a similar stage right now, where you’re waiting on acceptance letters or helping your child make decisions for what happens after high school.

Here are Some Practical Tips to Stay Positive

Focus on Celebrating your Child’s Senior Year

It’s hard to be sad about this stage when you are making it fun.  Participate in things like “Senior Sunday” on social media.

Tip 1: Create an album on your phone called Senior Stuff.  Go through your photos and start saving the photos to the album.  Have them handy for each week’s post, for creating a slideshow, or printing them at the end of the year for a senior party.

Tip 2: Do things like cook their favorite meals, print off cheesy signs to hang when they receive acceptance letters or job offers, and volunteer at senior school events.  Your child might roll their eyes, but secretly they will appreciate being celebrated.

Live in the Present of Senior Year

This is especially hard when every day feels like it presents a choice to be made for “next year.” Try not to jump ahead too quickly and take in the small moments.  If your child asks you to run errands, do it.

Tip 3: If they want to make a Sonic or Starbucks run, go – even if you’ve already settled in for the night. Your child also feels the change that is coming but isn’t going to blatantly ask to spend time with you.  It will likely happen in the form of requests for something else. So, take advantage of those opportunities, because a year from now, you will be so glad you did.

The Bottom Line is This:  Will this year will be hard emotionally as you slowly let go of your child? Yes. Can it also be a wonderful year watching your child spread their wings and step into exciting adventures? Also, yes. It’s all about where you focus your thoughts and energy. For me, that focus was found in praying over every worry and wonder and it made all the difference.

“Finally, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”

Phillippians 4:8

Purchase “A Hope and A Future” Prayer Guide