Monday Musings

In this Issue:

• Affirmations that you might share with your student in a moment of setback
• A couple of World Cup adjacement mentions
• Fun finds from social media

It’s the first day of June, which really makes it feel like summer on this campus: Commencement is now in the rearview mirror and Summer Session I is in front of us. Here’s a few items for you to think about today.

Affirmations that you might share with your student in a moment of setback

Families of all years, this is something you can think about now over the summer, and have this in your pocket for when you need it.

There will inevitably be times when your Deac is experiencing disappointment, failure, etc.* In those moments, before acting or offering advice, I recommend asking this of your Deac:

“What is my role here? Do you need to vent and just want me to listen to you? Or do you want any advice?”

And then – here comes the tough part – give your Deac what they ask for.

If they do want your thoughts or advice, you would be best served to steer away from problem solving and go more in the direction of reminding them of their capacity for resilience and their ability to handle the situation. Here are some suggestions of things you might say:

• “This is tough, but so are you.” Sometimes students just need a reminder that they CAN do it (whatever “it” is) and that they are strong.
• “I know this hurts. I remember when this happened to me [insert story of your own disappointment.]” It may be helpful for your student to know you have overcome similar things. Often our children don’t believe we’ve gone through issues (weirdly, they just assume we always succeed, even if they don’t tell us that!) and feel comforted to know that their loved ones persevered through difficulty too.
• “I remember that time where you [insert tough situation they dealt with]. You managed that then, I trust you to manage this now.” Helping them remember that they have been resilient before might make this current situation easier to bear. Hearing that you trust them will likely boost their self-confidence.
• “While you failed to get [insert thing they wanted], you are not a failure. I am proud of you for who you are, not what you get.” Achievement matters so much to this generation of students, as does disappointing their loved ones. Reminding them your love is unconditional can be a big boost in a time of hurt.
• “It’s OK to feel bad/angry/disappointed/etc. That is normal. And it may take some time for that feeling to go away, but it will, and you will be stronger in the end.” Most of us don’t like to feel bad feelings, and try to chase them away with some fun distraction. But feeling those feelings, and working through them, is healthy. Remind them that their discomfort is temporary.

* of course, if their issue is a major life/safety/health situation, you may need to take more of an active role; we.wfu.edu has resources.

You know your student and know what they might respond to. But your best posture might be to help them keep perspective, in whatever way works best for them.

A couple of World Cup-adjacent mentions

There was a really interesting news article last week that talked about some potential benefits of the World Cup. Here is a snippet:

“As 48 national soccer teams converge on North American cities this summer to train for the FIFA World Cup 2026™, the stakes might go well beyond who wins or loses.

These teams will spur what psychologists call the ‘demonstration effect.’ When young people witness elite athletes perform, especially in high-profile events close to home, they feel inspired to join the sport or get more active – the demonstration effect.

And that could make a huge difference in the health of the younger generations, said Abbie Wrights, associate teaching professor of Health and Exercise Science.”

You can read the full article here. And as a reminder, we are preparing for the arrival of the German National Team, who will train at Wake Forest. This article sums up some of the temporary impacts to campus operations.

Fun finds from social media

We’ll close out the day with a few fun finds from social media:

Letter to Myself: Before her first year even began, Gialin Tran (’26) wrote a letter to herself. Four years later, she opened it again. [Note: have a tissue.]

Meet Minxing “Mike” Liu (’26) : An economics and mathematics double major with a minor in statistics, Mike came to Wake Forest from Beijing and found a community that helped him navigate life in a new country and language.

And this is a really cool Instagram post from Commencement that combines still photos with video in the same frame.