An Open Letter to the Parents and Families of College Students: Embracing Change and Unconditional Love

I wrote this letter in 2015, but a recent experience encouraged me to share it again in a new way. As someone who has worked in higher education and has supported students in processing things they don’t feel they can share with their families because of the ways their parents and/or others close to them have responded in the past, I feel compelled to speak on the impact of that isolation with family members and others in their support systems who are in a position to listen whenever I can.

I’m sharing this video to serve as a conversation starter and a resource for movement toward more authentic sharing and relationships between students and their support systems.

Ubuntu,

From Aspiring Humanitarian, Relando Thompkins-Jones