Year out, uni or work? How christian parents can navigate the crisis

My eldest child will turn 20 this year. I have enjoyed every season that his young life has brought me. Okay, well maybe I endured the tantrums and have nowforgotten the sleepless nights. As he has grown, my parenting has grown with him. I have moved from the nurturing phase of parenting to now reading myself for the departure stage.

Looking back, we have faced many challenges and trials. I have watched him try to work out what he was passionate about and help him nurture those passions. I have sown seeds of prayer into his life, and he has prayed as well that God would lead him where He needed him to be. But this last stage of parenting, the departure stage, for me, has been hard.

Years 12 and 13 are some of the most significant years of your child’s life. This is the time when they are asking lots of questions about what their future might look like. The Government now requires all young people to stay in education until they are 18. Two-thirds of 16–19-year-olds study A-Levels, whilst some manage to secure an apprenticeship placement, and some study for T-level or BTEC qualifications. There is still a heavy expectation that students will then proceed to university, particularly those who have studied A-Levels. But with the average debt for a university graduate amounting to £45,600, many are choos