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Key moments and challenges when your kid leaves

KSA staff member welcomes a player and his parents at the Kaptiva Sports Academy residence

It is normal that when your child leaves their comfort zone to live a year away there are difficult feelings and emotions on both sides. It’s a process you have to face together, but, as parents, let’s look at the key moments and challenges when your kid leaves.

Kaptiva Sports Academy is aimed at children between the ages of 13 and 17. During these ages they have some of the best experiences, but they can also face difficult moments associated with adolescence. In this case, we are going to focus on the parents’ process when children move away for a year.

KSA player with his family in front of the Kaptiva Sports Academy banner

Parent guide to sports academy life

If your child has lived away before, for study purposes, or has gone to summer camp for a long time, this experience will be easier to cope with. If it is their first time away, and for such a long time, they may face other difficulties.

For example, it is normal to feel anxiety and worry during the initial separation. We want our child to be well and fit in with other children their age. At this stage, uncertainty and lack of control can intensify these emotions.

Later, during the first months and as your child adjusts, as a parent you may experience homesickness or sadness due to the separation. It could translate as a feeling of emptiness, due to changes in family dynamics and routine.

KSA staff member talks with a player and his father outside the academy

Ways to adapt to the process

In order to cope with these feelings, we can maintain a number of habits throughout the year that the child spends at Kaptiva Sports Academy. First of all, it is important to have ongoing communication. That is, arrange video calls from time to time with your child so that the emotional bond does not weaken and keep you updated on your child’s adaptation.

Similarly, it helps both parties to celebrate your child’s academic and athletic accomplishments to boost their self-esteem. Seeing them happy and celebrating their achievements is also satisfying as a parent to see that everything is going well.

It is also worth remembering that visits are possible at KSA. If you have the opportunity, it is always good to see each other in person, even if it is only for a few days.

KSA staff member checks in a new player and his father in the residence hallway

It is important not to stop motivating them

First and foremost, and despite the fear on both sides, children should be motivated to live this kind of experience. Often these possibilities occur only once in a lifetime, and leaving the comfort zone should not be scary, but quite the opposite.

Getting out of the house, meeting new people and moving away from familiar surroundings can be imposing, but it actually helps us develop as people. We learn from other people, make new friends and get to know the world. In reality, it’s all advantages.

However, our coaches and tutors care about the children at all times. At any sign that things are going wrong or not going well, they will talk to them to try to solve the problem. You can see the role of the tutors in another of our past posts.

For any questions related to this or other issues, you can contact us at any time or visit our website.