It’s almost October, which means it’s about that time.

Time for college kids to get homesick.

This week, a freshman client told me point blank:
“I’m so homesick.”

I asked what she missed most.

“Honestly? Not my parents. We talk all the time. I miss my bed, my bathroom, driving a car, and my dog.”

Sorry, parents. Apparently, we’re not always at the top of the list.

But this is often the time of year when homesickness starts to settle in.

The honeymoon phase is over. Routines are forming. Academic pressure is building. The novelty has worn off.

And suddenly:
Oh. This is where I live now.
For the next nine months.

For parents, hearing “I hate it here” or “I think I picked the wrong school” can be hard.

We immediately want to fix it.

But struggling with a big transition doesn’t necessarily mean the transition was a mistake.

Sometimes it simply means the transition is hard.

One of the most helpful things you can say is:
“It makes sense that you miss home.”
Not, “But you were so excited to go.”
Not, “Everyone else seems fine.”

Just: “It makes sense.”

Listen before you solve.

Then, if they need help, get practical.

If academics feel overwhelming, encourage office hours or tutoring.
If they’re lonely, remind them that friendship often comes from repetition: showing up to the same club, sitting near the same people, going to the same class, asking someone to grab coffee.

If they’re calling home a lot?
That’s okay too.

Connection to home doesn’t prevent independence.

In fact, feeling securely connected to home can be exactly what gives them enough courage to keep building a life somewhere else.

The goal isn’t for them to stop missing home.

It’s for them to slowly build another place that starts to feel like home too.
And that takes time.

So if your college student is homesick right now, you don’t have to talk them out of it.

You don’t have to convince them they made the right choice.

You can remind them that missing home and finding their place can happen at the same time.

And sometimes the bravest thing they can do is keep showing up, keep giving it a chance, and allow themselves to admit, “I don’t feel at home here yet,” while still holding on to hope that it will get better.
💛💛💛