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I am most concerned about not unconsciously lowering expectations for D2. I do think there are subtle signals we send as parents that can lead the younger sibling to expect less of themselves. It's not that we don't love and cherish them as much. It's just a function, I think, of age and fatigue and family dynamics -- how does a family handle two super stars? Sometimes I do float lower expectation balloons with D2 -- potential colleges that are less selective -- thinking I'm doing her a favor, taking the pressure off. This seems to annoy her. I don't think it's what she wants from me. She wants me to totally believe the sky is the limit for her. Just like I have for D1. This may mean a crash landing three years from now and it does make me very nervous. But I'm sensing that anything else would be to shortchange her. I think there's enough understanding now about the capricious nature of college admissions that no applicant or their family should ever greet rejection with a sense of tragedy.
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