Letter to a Parent of a High School Sophomore

Dear Parent of a High School Sophomore,

You’re officially a high school veteran.  That makes this year easy, right?!

Okay, not funny.  But there are benefits to sending your child off to high school for their sophomore year.  By this point, they do understand the rigor of academics, how to maneuver the school (both physically around the building and socially), and what is expected of them.  Hopefully they have a solid group of friends (and if not, it’s not too late), an organization or club they’re obsessed with, and healthy hobbies outside of school.

But there are new things on the horizon.

If college talk hasn’t started yet, it might soon - even if not by you.  It might come from high school counselors, friends, or even Aunt Gertrude at Thanksgiving.  Have the conversation with your child that they don’t need to stress about decisions at this point and it’s okay if they’re taking things day by day, a little bit at a time.  Right now, they need to focus on sophomore year and on themselves.

Just as freshman year was a lot of preparing for sophomore year, sophomore year is preparation for junior year.  Junior year is often the hardest year academically for many high school students. Come spring, find a time to talk about course load and rigor to see where they might find themselves for junior year.  Do they want to add an AP course or two? Were they already spread thin and want to dial it back a notch? Ensure they plan on whatever they need to do to be successful and feel good about their achievements in a year that is going to add quite a bit of stress.

Continue talking about your child’s overall health.  Now more than ever, teenagers are struggling with mental health and knowing where to turn when things grow dark.  As your child’s biggest support, having those conversations will make sure they know you are a safe place.

Sophomore year is very much a year of growth and finding themselves.  Continue to encourage new things, big ideas, and a positive outlook. And know that you are doing good things as a parent.

Here to support you,

Carly