Parents worry in silence all the time, and it doesn’t matter how old their child is. They worry when their toddler gets sick, they worry when their pre-schooler starts school, they worry when their children approach the teenage years, they worry once they start college, and they worry when their children go out on their first date. Parents, loving as they are, worry every step of the way. And just when you thought they’ll stop worrying after their child gets a diploma, you’re wrong. In fact, the real world as they say, scares them the most.
It’s a difficult world out there — fast-paced, hardcore, and unforgiving. Now that the season of graduation is just around the corner, parents could be thinking, “What’s in store for my child out there?” Unfortunately, some things are beyond the parents’ control, but they can prepare their child for the road ahead, starting off with the perfect graduation gift.
One of the things that parents want to teach their children is independence. Incidentally, that is also the most difficult thing for parents: letting go. But to somehow give your children a good send-off into the real world, help them enter the world of independent living. A cash gift or facilitating a loan for your child’s starter home would be perfect. A condo unit near his workplace is also truly priceless. Not all parents can afford this of course, but if you can, know that a condo comes with so many other gifts, such as gift of independence, responsibility, and opportunity.
1. Ensuring safety and well-being
Maple Place Entrance. Photo courtesy of DMCI Homes
If parents can keep their eyes on their child 24/7, they would. But on your child’s graduation day, one realization is that you can’t. However, a condo that you know is secure would ensure that your child is safe and comfortable. One of the benefits of condo living is round-the-clock security, which should give parents peace of mind.
At a time when traffic has gotten from bad to worse, a condo unit in a premium location should also help your child focus on his work and career rather than wasting so much time on the road.
2. Being responsible for one’s freedom
Buying your child a starter home or helping her/him get one is like a multimillion peso reminder that she/he needs to get her/his act together. With the proper supervision, you would be amazed at how independent living can change your child. Soon enough, they will be responsible, mature, and confident enough to run the course of their own life.
A condo is a truly unique graduation gift because it comes with independence and sense of responsibility. This is adulting at its finest. Your child will learn how to cook, make the bed, clean her/his own place, fix a broken sink, take care of bills, etc.
3. Achieving financial maturity
When you give your child her/his own home, make sure it is something she/he can sustain. Once your children land a job, help them understand the importance of investing and managing their own finances. If they can already take care of the mortgage, or at least a part of it, then great. Give them the responsibility of taking care of utility bills, homeowner’s dues, groceries, and other expenses.
Make them understand that they must not live buried in debt, and that they must save for the future. Credit cards, when used irresponsibly, is not really a friend.
4. Gift of comfort and convenience
Rhapsody Residences Landscape Garden. Photo courtesy of DMCI Homes
Apart from premium location, among the many benefits of condo living is its amenities that make a homeowner’s life comfortable. Parents need not worry about their child’s community or what their child does in her/his spare time. A condo, such as resort-themed DMCI condos, has many areas that encourage you to stay fit, make acquaintances, play your favorite sports, and enhance your creativity. Condo living offers a life of comfort and convenience, so no need to worry about how your child’s environment could ruin her/his chances at a good life.
5. Learning new skills
Did you know that your child is actually capable of making his own breakfast? That she/he knows how to flip an omelet? Living independently will allow your child to learn a new set of skills especially in the department of self-care. Young people living on their own will learn how to cook their own meals, wash clothes, and bring out the trash. Soon enough, they’ll know how to treat minor injuries and occasional flu.
6. Importance of family and community
The more a person lives independently, the more she/he understands the need to be part of a community. Living alone doesn’t make people selfish, but with proper guidance, it could make her/him selfless and more generous of her/his time and attention.
Independent living will teach your child how to co-exist. It will teach her/him about relationships, the value of community, and appreciate the comfort of home.
7. Gift of self-discovery
The environment contributes to realizing a child’s potential. Not until one is living in her/his own terms can she/he ultimately achieve what she/he is capable of becoming. Living on your own will let your child focus on her/his personal growth, career, desires, and dreams. Independent living will allow your child to discover what she/he is truly capable of, given the mistakes and triumphs along the way. Just the idea of designing your own place would reveal so much about your child and would prove to her/him that she/he is in control.
8. It’s a worthy investment
What makes a condo a great graduation gift is the fact that it is a worthy investment for both you and your child. It is real estate after all, and everyone knows just how precious that is. It could double its value in no time, while also investing in the future of your child as a grown man or woman.
As a parent, you can keep worrying or steer your child to the path of independence and responsibility. The gift of home is more than just giving your child a roof above her/his head, but a gift that invests in her/his future.