E 243 Top Mistakes Parents Make Before Sending Teens to College

Is your anxious teen really ready for college? In this episode of The Teen Anxiety Maze, I’m joined by college success coach Alexandra Holt, founder of Campus Thrive Coaching, to tackle one of the most common and stressful questions parents face: What if my child isn’t ready for college?

We talk about:
✅ How anxiety impacts college readiness
✅ What skills your teen needs before they leave home
✅ How parents can start building independence now
✅ When to consider a gap year or alternative paths
✅ Navigating accommodations and mental health services in college

Whether your teen is preparing for college or still unsure about their path, this conversation is packed with practical advice, encouragement, and next steps to help them move forward with confidence.

🎁 Free Resource from Alexandra:
Grab the Mental Health Toolkit for your teen

🗓 Worried about college readiness?
Book a free consultation with Alexandra

🎧 Listen to more episodes & get tools for anxious teens

 Struggling with anxiety in your family? If anxiety is causing tension, fights, or disconnect in your home, you don’t have to face it alone. I help parents bring more peace, confidence, and connection to their families. Let’s talk—schedule a free consultation today or email me: ccoufal@cynthiacoufalcoaching.com

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Transcript

Hi everyone. Thank you for joining me for the Teen Anxiety Maze. Do you have questions about your child going to college, especially if they have anxiety and wondering are they gonna be able to make it? Well, I have an amazing guest today, Alexandra Holt, and she is a college success coach, which I love because we definitely need these people 

Cynthia: helping our kids.

And I wish I would've known about this, this for my own kids. And also when I was working in schools, 

Cynthia: I would be helping our kids.

And I wish I would've known about this, this for my own kids. And also when I was working in schools I would be sending so many people her way. But she is the founder of Campus Thrive Coaching. I. With years of experience as an educator and a mentor, Alexandra Em empowers college bound teens and their families to navigate the challenges of college [00:01:00] applications and prepare for long-term success.

And I know that not only are our, our young people anxious about all those processes, but the parents are anxious about it too. And so. She will be able to help people kind of navigate all of that stuff that causes anxiety. And since we're always talking about anxiety on this podcast we'll be able to take some of the stuff that we've been talking about already and apply it to college applications and college success.

So Alexandra, thank you for being with us. 

Alexandra: Thank you for having me. 

Cynthia: Yes, I am so excited. Well you have been working with families and, and kids especially about their college success. So the very first question I had about, if my child has anxiety, you know, is my child even gonna be successful in college?

Or what should I be thinking about? Or what does this mean? So how can you answer that question? 

Alexandra: [00:02:00] Yeah. So if a, if a student has a history of anxiety, there are different challenges that are going to be ahead of them because we do see when, as soon as a student goes to college, we see a heightened sense of pressure, both academically and mentally, right?

Mm-hmm. And so if a student already has anxiety, then we wanna be. Preventing that from being, you know, a catastrophe, really. 

Cynthia: Mm-hmm. 

Alexandra: Right. So. It kind of depends on a family. When I take in a family, we're looking at, you know, what are the circumstances? How bad has it been? Have they been effectively treating it?

Mm-hmm. And what are the symptoms and triggers mm-hmm. That are really causing that to come out. Right. And then we evaluate, you know, is it best for that student to live at home and [00:03:00] attend college while living at home? Or is that student best off actually leaving that home environment? 

Cynthia: Mm-hmm. Or 

Alexandra: right.

What, what would be the most aligned action for them to be successful? Mm-hmm. So it's very holistic. And I would say, you know. If they are already having these anxiety symptoms, if they're already experiencing this and it has been a, a pattern and a and a challenge so far, then we wanna be looking at preventing that from getting worse when they get there.

Cynthia: Mm-hmm. 

Alexandra: So things that we look out for immediately, warning signs and symptoms are, does that child know how to manage their time? Enormous, right? 

Cynthia: Mm-hmm. 

Alexandra: Because if they are going to be leaving their home environment and their known support system, they are then going to be a responsible for all of the things that the [00:04:00] mother, the father, the family, has been supporting them with so far.

Mm-hmm. They, it is all going to be on them. And a lot of students, even those without anxiety are not prepared for that. 

Cynthia: Mm-hmm. 

Alexandra: So time management is huge. Also, what do we do when we are triggered? What do we do when we are sitting in overwhelm and stress? How are we handling that? Who are we reaching out to?

Are we building the support system that we need? Do we have tools and strategies to really get back to a regulated state? 

Cynthia: Mm-hmm. 

Alexandra: Without the family being right there to 

Cynthia: help. Mm-hmm. 

Alexandra: So, yeah. 

Cynthia: How do you suggest that parents start that? I mean, obviously that needs to happen before they go away, like the time management and like making sure that they have ways to regulate themselves.

So how do parents help with that while they're still in the home? 

Alexandra: Okay, so with [00:05:00] time management, it's really about empowering your child. Right. I think that a lot of times what, what I see with clients coming into our, our academy is a, is a student who has been, I don't want to, like, coddle isn't quite the right word, but like parents have been doing all the things for them.

They're waking them up in the morning. They're making sure they get to school on time. They're making sure they go to all their classes, they're making sure they're going to the activities. They're making sure that they have time for study and they're setting that aside and reminding the child, right?

It's like 

Cynthia: mm-hmm. 

Alexandra: They are, what do I, I call it, they are like the reminder application for their student. Right. And what that does is it, it is disempowering the student to take control of their own time and start learning. And we learn by making mistakes. Stakes. Mm-hmm. If you miss your class, you, that may not happen again.

'cause you just realized I need to set the [00:06:00] alarm so that I make the class. It's a learning moment. So I would suggest with time management to start immediately letting go little by little. Of how much you are controlling their calendar and their schedule day to day. 

Cynthia: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. And 

Alexandra: allowing them to take some power back in those areas.

You cannot do this for them forever. You cannot do this for them forever. They need to learn how to do it. So maybe not all at once, but you know, little by little start backing off a little bit. 

Cynthia: And I know with some of the teens that I've worked with that really rely on their parents to be waking them up and doing all these things and making sure their breakfast is ready and their clothing is ready to go or whatever.

They kind of fight against this when parents want to start taking some of that away and saying, well, you need to get up on your own, or you need to get your lunch ready, or you need to have your supplies ready to [00:07:00] go. And, and I'm not gonna call the school if you can't get up on time, or I'm not gonna you know, which is were, which are good things to, for parents to be pulling back from.

But I've had clients that really, their behavior gets worse. Like they throw fits and get really mad because their parents aren't taking care of those things. And I know you're probably not coaching people, kind of that kind of a a way, but you've probably seen that too, I'm guessing, where kids kind of fight back when, 'cause they just want their parents to do all the things.

'cause it's easy. 

Alexandra: Yeah. I, I hear you. And it's a good thing to be aware of, right? Mm-hmm. Especially if you are doing all those things and you are gonna start pulling back. Be aware that there might be some pushback on that. And I think it's important. I've, I've had a few families that stick out in my mind where this is very applicable.

Mm-hmm. Knowing your boundary and sticking to it. 

Cynthia: Mm-hmm. 

Alexandra: Is really, really, really important. Right. So if you have, [00:08:00] and communicating the boundary. Mm-hmm. So I think communication also comes into all of these things. You don't just pull back without a conversation or a communication. Mm-hmm. So we wanna make sure that they understand, they know why this is happening and your boundary around it.

Cynthia: Mm-hmm. 

Alexandra: And then you really have to just. Stick to your boundary because mm-hmm. It's just like little ones, right? I have two little kids. I have a 2-year-old and a 4-year-old, and if the boundary isn't firm and it's not communicated and I'm not sticking to it, then they walk right over the boundary. Yes.

It's the same concept. It's just, yeah, it's a little bit harder because there's more riding on the line. 

Cynthia: Mm-hmm. 

Alexandra: I think though, you know, I'm, I'm thinking about a specific family. I had a, I had a student who was very much what you just described. As soon as, as soon as mom started pulling back on [00:09:00] supporting in this, in these type of ways, he wasn't going to school anymore, he stopped going to school. Mm-hmm. He wouldn't drive himself to school. He was having like huge, and so then, then it became how then do we support them because you cannot keep enabling. 

Cynthia: Mm-hmm. 

Alexandra: They have to learn how to do this. So then it became, mm-hmm This is not me anymore.

This is who is going to help you. 

Cynthia: Mm-hmm. 

Alexandra: That process and make sure that they're okay. Right? Like if 

Cynthia: a 

Alexandra: student is exhibiting that drastic of a 

Cynthia: mm-hmm. 

Alexandra: A reaction too, then there might be other things we need to be talking about. 

Cynthia: I always say that, you know, kids want to function and want to do things. I mean, if they're mentally healthy, they want to do things, and when they totally check out of everything and don't do anything, there is a mental health concern of some [00:10:00] kind.

You just have to figure out what it is and yeah, I don't, I mean, even though I work with anxiety, which is in the mental health area, if somebody has become non-functioning that. Is not me either. You know, like that's something that somebody needs therapy, they need a doctor's assistance. 'cause sometimes there are physical physical illnesses that cause these same kind of reactions, but that again, that needs to be diagnosed and maybe there's medication or mm-hmm.

Different kinds of things that need to happen to help somebody. So people who just are a procrastinator or they complain about going to school or they don't always get all their homework done or whatever, that's not necessarily something, I mean, that is more typical teenage behavior. Yes. Versus you know, totally shutting down and not doing anything.

Mm-hmm. One of the questions I was gonna ask you about, like. When I worked as a school counselor, there were kids that got [00:11:00] accommodations for different things because of anxiety or mm-hmm. And it wasn't an IEP, it was just 

Alexandra: a 5 0 4 probably. Yeah, 

Cynthia: it was a 5 0 4. And and sometimes we just did it because these teachers were nice or whatever, like we didn't mm-hmm.

Always have everything just specifically written down, but it was helpful to the child when they were taking tests or something like that. So when you're working with families and they've mentioned, hey, in school we get these accommodations, whether it's an IEP or a 5 0 4 or some other kind of situation, how do you help with that piece of like going into college or do you help with that piece when you're talking about college success?

Alexandra: Yeah, that's a really great question. So. None of those forms automatically transfer. That's the first thing to know. None of them automatically transfer, so what they need to be doing. Really before senior year, like in sophomore, junior and senior year, is making sure that they're using the accommodations that are being [00:12:00] given to them so that it's properly documented.

And if it's just a nice teacher who's accommodating without documentation that doesn't work for the transfer. Of the accommodation, it needs to be documented because what the college will do when you go to their disabilities department and speak with them is they will ask for all of those data points.

Are they using it? How are they using it? Is it effective? And then from there, they'll decide, are we going to do something about this and give you some accommodations blanketed? Or they'll recommend that you talk to professors. Individually. 

Cynthia: Mm-hmm. 

Alexandra: Right? Mm-hmm. So I, you know, my number one tip is for that, or advice is make sure that it's being documented and make sure they're using it.

Cynthia: Yeah. 

Alexandra: If it's being given. 

Cynthia: Yeah, that makes sense. And it will never look like it did in high school. 

Alexandra: [00:13:00] No, it will not. Yeah. No. Mm-hmm. No. And a professor always has sort of rule over their classroom too. So like I have students who had note taking services, for example, in high school, but in college, the professor doesn't allow.

Right. So there are little. There are idiosyncrasies to transferring that. It's a conversation that needs to be had school to school with the disabilities department. 

Cynthia: Mm-hmm. And 

Alexandra: getting that in line for your student. 

Cynthia: Right. And knowing where that office is and really, you know, when you're doing that, finding the school, you know, like when you're touring different schools and looking at which schools are the best schools for us and get, you know, getting all your information.

Part of that information, if you're in this situation, needs to be where is a disability office? What are the paperwork that they're gonna need from me? Mm-hmm. And looking at that just as specifically as you [00:14:00] do the application, the scholarships, the everything, because all of that's gonna matter if your child has already experienced having some accommodations in school for whatever reason.

But, you know, anxiety is the one thing. That we talk about on this podcast, but yeah, it could be for anything. And 

Alexandra: some, some schools have programs too. So I remember I had a couple students who applied, I'm, I'm like blanking on the name of the school, but they had a specific program set up for students who had disability services in high school, and it was meant to.

Help them transition more smoothly. 

Cynthia: Hmm. 

Alexandra: So you really need to be communicating before even applying. Like if there's interest in a school, call the disabilities department, see what they offer. Mm-hmm. See what their process is before you even apply. Because again, you know, like with. [00:15:00] With, in any case, in any family's case, the alignment that the student has with the school, that match is really, really important.

Cynthia: Mm-hmm. 

Alexandra: It's really important, and especially if we have a student who is exhibiting any kind of mental health challenge before school, we wanna make sure that school is going to be a good fit for them so that they can maintain any progress that they've made so far and 

Cynthia: mm-hmm. Continue 

Alexandra: to grow. 

Cynthia: Well, and I would say also know where the counseling center or mental health center is on the campus.

Because my daughter. I mean she had, I should have known, now that I look back, I should have known she had anxiety, but she went to college not having any diagnosis of anything and then started having panic attacks. And she was only 45 minutes away from me, so I was going over and trying to help her.

'cause I was like, I don't even know what's happening here. She would just be so like, out of it. She was just so upset about things [00:16:00] and I just said, you need to go to the campus. Mental health center and talk to somebody, 'cause I don't know why this is happening, but you need, you need to figure out what's happening.

And she was diagnosed with anxiety there on the campus and they prescribed her medication. That has been so helpful to her. And I mean, so kids need to know where that place is because if they are experiencing something that they maybe is new to them, you know, the panic attacks. To my knowledge, were new to her when she went to college.

Later I found out that she had had some as a younger person, but just had them in her room and never told anyone that mm-hmm something was wrong. 'cause she was like, I think I'm crazy and I don't want anyone to know about it. But, i, they need to know where that is and like how to, how to access that or like how to get the help because it's so important for them because they don't have their parents there making the appointments and seeing that there's changes [00:17:00] in their behavior or whatever.

And it can be a lifesaver. 

Alexandra: Yes. I, I completely agree. It's one of the things we, in the academy that I run, we make sure that they know where. The mental health clinic is where they know where the health clinic is, where they know where all those buildings are before they go. And it's not, you know, it's not even just for them either.

It could be that they're with somebody that's experiencing something. Yeah. And so just knowing where that is is really, really important. 

Cynthia: Oh, I love that. Yeah. What are all the things that you do in your academy? Like what are all the things that you're teaching 'em? Is it a prescribed program kind of like, or is everybody getting their own special things that they need?

How does that work? 

Alexandra: A little bit of both. So we have some umbrella topics that we, that we go over with everybody and, and that's because. Everybody needs them. 

Cynthia: Mm-hmm. 

Alexandra: If a student didn't need it, then we wouldn't probably go over it with that student. But [00:18:00] executive functioning is enormous, right? Mm-hmm.

Executive functioning skills, so we're talking about time management, we're talking about organization, task initiation, so getting started on things being able to set, flexible and adaptable goals, being able to handle situations without going into panic, right? Mm-hmm. So executive functioning is a big umbrella topic that we go into in great depth.

And mostly because they're not really getting a whole lot of training in that, in the school system and right at home because we, 

Cynthia: mm-hmm. 

Alexandra: Some of us dunno how to teach it, right? Like many parents don't have the time management skills to be able to bring on mm-hmm. To their children. So executive functioning and then we also work heavily in confidence and vision.

Cynthia: Mm-hmm. So 

Alexandra: confidence just. Being a skillset and not a personality trait. 

Cynthia: Mm. 

Alexandra: Really getting [00:19:00] confident and knowing how to continue and maintain confidence in yourself as you walk on campus and just make, start making adult decisions. That's an enormous topic that we cover and and vision. So. And this is sort of a controversial one 'cause a lot of students or a lot of parents and students have a, there's a belief system out there that we can just send them without sort of a plan, without sort of knowing kind of what they wanna do and they explore there.

Okay. I believe that that's not the way to do this. College is an enormous expense. 

Cynthia: Mm-hmm. It's an 

Alexandra: enormous expense. And the college is out to get your money. It is a business. It's a business. Yeah. Mm-hmm. And so they, even the [00:20:00] ones that are these more exploratory colleges, there's an argument to say that they're keeping kids longer and longer there.

Cynthia: Mm-hmm. 

Alexandra: Not so much for the kids' sake, but because they're a business. Right. So I think that there are ways, and there are ways that we do in the AC that we work through in the academy to start building a vision within the student to know what they want to accomplish, some sort of pathway that they want to follow.

And where they wanna get so that there's a plan. Mm-hmm. Moving into the school. Mm-hmm. Rather than just going, you know? 

Cynthia: Yeah, 

Alexandra: we'll figure it out. 

Cynthia: That is so important, and I'm so glad that you're saying that because as a school counselor for many years, I had many students that would come to me and they were like, well, I'm going to college, and they were failing classes.

They weren't doing their homework. They would tell me in my office, I hate school. And I'm like, okay, well college is [00:21:00] school. So I'm not quite sure, but it was like, it was like college is some other thing. Mm-hmm. Like it's not equated with school. It's like this is just the next thing I do. Yeah. Whether their parents thought it was the next thing that you do or they thought it was the next thing to do, so I'm sure you probably get.

Clients that come in and they're like, well, but I hate school. So how do you help them? How do you help them determine if they should be going or where they should go and all that in case they have a, a weird idea about it. 

Alexandra: Yeah. No, it's spot on. So, and this ties into why I do this, so I don't think you even know this, but I am a four year gap student.

Cynthia: Oh, okay. 

Alexandra: Four years. Mm-hmm. I had a very interesting childhood and wanted to get away, so I moved across the country and there was no way I was going to college right away. So I took four years and I [00:22:00] worked, and I, you know, did all sorts of life experience things before going back to school. So I am an advocate for a student who is not ready.

I. Not going yet, right? Yeah. If they are, if they're already academically challenged in high school, that is going to get so. The pressure is like it's just gonna get worse, right? Yeah. It's going to get exacerbated. Mm-hmm. When they go to college, because college is harder than high school, it is more rigorous and you are in charge of your life.

Mm-hmm. Right? You are in charge of your timing, you're in charge of studying, you're in charge of all the things, and if you're already struggling with that in high school, then you're not going to be able, there's no transferable skills. 

Cynthia: Mm-hmm. 

Alexandra: So. So when I get a client who I can tell by their history that [00:23:00] they are not ready, we have that conversation.

Mm-hmm. We talk about. A gap year. We talk about interning over a summer. We talk about possibly working and starting in the workforce for a little bit before going back. And we talk about trade schools, right? Mm-hmm. Trades are important. Mm-hmm. Trades are a thing that we need, and there are a lot of students that would be a better fit to go to a trade school and learn a trade.

Then go into college and be somewhat lost, right? Mm-hmm. Yeah. So it's, it's, again, it's very holistic and I also work with students who have dropped out. 

Cynthia: Mm-hmm. So 

Alexandra: I have a student who I've been working with for about a year now. He dropped out in sophomore year and. He's a highly intelligent, this is a student who had straight A's.

This is a student who can communicate and has been communicating like an adult for [00:24:00] years. Mm-hmm. But he just couldn't quite wrap his re head around being in that environment and doing things he didn't feel inspired to do. So his pathway is entrepreneurship. And that's what I do with him, is I meet with him and talk to him about, okay, what are your next goals?

What are the things that you need to be doing to meet your vision? 

Cynthia: Mm-hmm. 

Alexandra: Or your business. And I am confident that he will get there without a college degree. 

Cynthia: So I love that. 

Alexandra: Yeah. It's not for everyone. Mm-hmm. It's not for everyone. And if you have a student who's already struggling. Then it's really important to identify why.

Cynthia: Mm-hmm. 

Alexandra: A lot of times it comes down to skills like we're talking about. 

Cynthia: Yeah. It 

Alexandra: comes down to, and motivation is enormous. Mm-hmm. Right? Mm-hmm. So a lot of students in, in fact, a lot of, a lot of students who [00:25:00] procrastinate. Right. Let's take that as an example. Procrastination is widespread in teens.

Mm-hmm. And. There's usually a reason why. It's not that they're being lazy. It's not that they're like slothful. It's usually there's a reason underneath that habit. 

Cynthia: Mm-hmm. 

Alexandra: And it typically comes down to confidence or lack of motivation. 'cause they don't have a vision. Or they don't have the skills. 

Cynthia: Mm-hmm.

Yeah. To manage 

Alexandra: the project. Mm-hmm. So that's, those are things like, we identify what's, what is the behavior that we're seeing that we wanna change, in this case, procrastination. And then why is it happening? What's underneath it? And then we. Problem solve from there, right? Mm-hmm. 

Cynthia: Yeah. So I always say that behavior is a message.

Yes, it's, it's telling us something. Sometimes we don't want that message, but it's telling us something about what's going on with that child, and it isn't about [00:26:00] them being. You know, rude or disrespectful or lazy or all these things. It's like, what is, because I think that every, every person, every human wants to do the best that they can do, but sometimes they don't know how to do that, and then because they don't know how to do it, they feel shame about it, or they think they're crazy or they, you know, they, they think all these things that are negative.

And then sometimes we see behaviors or. Or shutting down or whatever because it's like harder to, they just don't wanna think about. What might really be going on. And they don't know how to do it on their own, and everyone's just mad at them. And so it, it's just, it's, it's a very difficult thing and I'm so glad that there are people out there like you trying to help kids realize what is really going on, because that's so helpful.

And I feel like that's what I do in my job with anxiety. Like a lot of kids have a lot of shame. [00:27:00] About having anxiety or they look around and they think no one else has it, it's just them. And I just, I do a lot of normalizing. I wonder, you probably do a lot of that too, like normalizing these things that are going on.

And it's not that there's something wrong with you, you just need to learn a skill or you just need to, to know this thing about yourself. 

Alexandra: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Absolutely. Absolutely. 

Cynthia: That's wonderful. Now you have something that you're giving my audience and I, it's, let me look and see what it is. 'cause I don't remember what it was and I don't know, maybe you remember.

Well, one of 'em I do, I 

Alexandra: know what I'm giving 

Cynthia: them. Oh, okay. Okay. And, and I also, I don't know if it's. Connected or separate, but if people, you know, needed to know, is my child ready for college? You do some sort of college readiness consultation? 

Alexandra: I do, yes. Okay. So if you, if you have a student who you are actively [00:28:00] concerned about, like you're thinking about it, you're am, are they gonna be ready?

Is this an issue? Or if you just wanna make sure. That your student is going to be ready, then we can I, in either case, we can just have a conversation. It's a free conversation. It's a consult call, and we talk about their history and we talk about the challenges they've had so far, and we talk about. You know, potentially where they wanna go and what they wanna do.

And then from there I can easily identify symptoms. Mm-hmm. Will lead to bigger issues later on and mm-hmm. We can just be really transparent and honest about those so that you know what to do and are prepared. 

Cynthia: That sounds perfect. I know I would've wanted that as a parent. So, and then is that part of the freebie two or is that, is there no other, there's something else.

Alexandra: Yeah, it's different. So the freebie is a mental health tool toolkit. 

Cynthia: Mm. 

Alexandra: So it's just a PDF that I've put together with [00:29:00] different mental health techniques that they can use if they are in a state where they need to get back into regulation. 

Cynthia: Hmm. I love it. That's so good. Yeah, tho those techniques are so good to know.

And I always tell my clients that they should practice them in low stakes situations like boredom or annoyance. I always tell my clients, I know every day you're annoyed or bored by something. So you can u practice like getting into regulation from those easy spots and then then your brain knows how to do it.

When it really is important to do it. And so I That's great. And they get some, I love when everybody just gets more ideas about things that they can do. 'cause it's so helpful. So is there anything else that you want my listeners to know before we go today? I. 

Alexandra: I want you to know that you're not alone. Mm. I want you to know that it's okay no matter where they [00:30:00] are.

We talked about a very broad range of kids, and like the worst case scenario is they're shutting down and the best case scenario is they're on their way to being ready. And anywhere in between, in any of those spots, it's okay. Wherever they are. We have to meet them where they are right now. Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm. And there's always a way forward. And you are not alone, right? 

Cynthia: Mm-hmm. There are 

Alexandra: other people out here who are experiencing this, so you're not alone in the experience and there are people out here who can help you. 

Cynthia: Yes. That's what I love about all the guests that I have is that, and I've said this so often to my listeners, but you know, there are so many people in this world that just wanna help you.

And I just want them to know who are all these people. So I keep trying to have all the people on my podcast, but you know, just Google it and look up, you know, who can help me with this thing? And you're gonna find people and let's, I mean, there's, there's so much more good and. [00:31:00] Helpfulness in the world than we sometimes hear about or, or realize.

So I'm so glad that there, there is you out there doing these things and it'll be wonderful for people to contact you and all your stuff will be in my show notes so that they can get. Get this information and contact you and hopefully work with you because we need people helping kids to be ready to go to college 'cause it's such an important thing to do or get ready to not do college if that's what they choose to do.

And, and it will be okay if they choose not to go to college. If they do something that's inspiring, they're gonna be so successful and it's gonna be wonderful. 

Alexandra: Absolutely every, every single one of your kids has potential. Mm-hmm. And the, the power within them to be great in this world in their own way.

Cynthia: Yes. I know. I love that so much. And it's so true. As a school counselor, [00:32:00] I had to talk parents through that many times, but mm-hmm. Well, thank you so much for being our guest and I look forward to more conversations with you. 

Alexandra: Absolutely. Thank you for having me.