How Independent Should Your Teen be Before Moving Out?

Okay, you’ve got a teen who is itching to move out, but you aren’t sure your child is ready to head out on their own to begin their adult life just yet. It can be difficult to get an apartment no matter where you live due to the amount of people and cost especially if you don’t have a past history with renting. The following are a few things that should help your teen be a little more independent as he or she prepares to move out.

Financial Literacy

Financial literacy is important, and it isn’t taught in schools. At the moment, most adults don’t have enough money in the bank to deal with an emergency. You don’t want your kids to feel financially strapped, and they don’t have to feel that way if you give them tools to manage their cash effectively. The good news is you can teach your teen good financial habits. There’s a ton of good online courses that should help your child understand finances better in order to be economically stable. You could even join in and brush up about your knowledge in financial literacy. There is always something new to learn that will benefit your life!

Renting Tips

Before moving out, you should go over important questions that your teen should ask when they are deciding on their first place. Asking the right questions about rent, utilities, internet, and security deposit amount is a good start to shifting through potential options. It is also smart to ask about any current roommates, house rules, or renters insurance. Some housing requires some or all of the previous costs so it is important to account for all of them before signing any lease. A California renters insurance company states that it is important to “consider purchasing renters insurance to protect your personal belongings.” Your teen may not see the value in having insurance but teaching them to protect their assets will aid them throughout their life.

Appreciating Household Chores

Your teen should know how to do different tasks around the house. This one is difficult because many teenagers will have to learn how to effectively communicate and delegate tasks between their roommates. This can be a new skill that is better learned at home before moving out although some teenagers have to learn as they experience living on their own.

It is also crucial to learn how to do all of their basic household needs on their own such as separating white clothes and colored clothes when washing. You’ll want to make sure your teen knows how to wash, cook, clean, how to unclog drains, in order to be a great roommate and renter. A good way to encourage your teen to learn basic life skills is by giving them chores they may struggle with but will be quite helpful skills when they move out.

Earning a Support System

It is beneficial to teach your teen how to find the right people to surround yourself with. It is important to have a strong support system consisting of great friends, coworkers, or even friendly neighbors. Some parents forget how important a support system really is, especially if your teen decides to move to a different area far away from home. You want your kids to know how important these individuals are, so start teaching them early.

They need to see your friends supporting you; they need to see how your acquaintances lend a hand when you need one. You need to tell your kids to network, to make friends, to find local specialists for the services they might need in their adult life. They may need a mechanic, dentist, and a good doctor for routine checkups. No one survives this world without a little help, and that makes these individuals important for any adult.

Getting Into Healthy Living

Typically, teens are not the best at self-motivation, discipline, or doing what needs to be done even if you don’t want to do it. Being an adult out in the real world means making consistent good decisions that will benefit your future, even if it is hard. Helping your teen to develop good habits of waking up earlier, eating healthy, and being active will only help them as they adjust to living on their own. Although you won’t be there to monitor your teen’s lifestyle, the best thing you can do is teach him or her how important health is. Start by being an example and trying to implement good habits into your daily life so that they have someone to look to. 

Moving out of the house for the first time is a big step for any teen and it is a big change for their parents. Preparing your teen will not only be helpful to them, it will also help calm your nerves. You will be providing them the information necessary to help your kid get off on the right foot, and overcome the obstacles that life throws their way.