D is going to be home more than I thought.

Parent Cafe
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<p>So D who is graduating tomorrow ( by the skin of her teeth in some classes- even though she is wearing an honor sash)
has reevaluated her plans for next year.</p>

<p>She still is working all summer at a residential camp, ( which will be tough, because at just turned 18, she will be low man on totem pole), but instead of going to teach photography in August for two months, before she ships off to Americorps, she is going to live at home for two qtrs & attend community college to get a better start when she goes off to the university next fall.
( I am going to suggest she go part time)
Pushing her trip to teach photography to the spring will give her more time to raise money for equipment & get more people involved( she is collecting equipment to donate to the school after the class)</p>

<p>I am looking forward to it but a little wary, as just a few weeks ago, she had the attitude that “living here would be her last choice, in a very long list”.</p>

<p>I also was planning on her being gone, and taking a heavier load in school myself- but actually this will be good, because it will give me a chance to help her advocate for herself & for her to get all the things done before she goes off to university. ( like take driving lessons, have her wisdom teeth pulled, all that fun stuff)</p>

<p>PLus-! she is so excited because she can still be on her soccer team.
It is U-19 and she just turned 18, so I just re-registered her ( had to pay a late fee)
;)</p>

<p>I think we are both comfortable with the decision & I wanted to share it with CC , because I know as a sophomore student and mom, we would have felt like " we failed" if community college was the next step, but as an almost graduate, it feels fine & like the right thing to do.</p>

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<p>“she is going to live at home for two qtrs & attend community college to get a better start when she goes off to the university next fall.
( I am going to suggest she go part time)”</p>

<p>Check with the university to make sure that she doesn’t take so many credits that she’d be regarded as a transfer, not a freshman.</p>

<p>S had not wanted to live at home during his gap year, but ended up living at home because he didn’t want to pay more money for rent (We did charge him $50 a week rent during his gap year so he would get some appreciation of how much money it takes to have a decent lifestyle).</p>

<p>He was expected to do his usual chores, but otherwise, we had the same privileges that any adult guest would have had. He had no curfew, but was expected to let us know where he was, and when to expect him home. Things worked out fine. In fact, it was nice having him in our house as a working adult.</p>

<p>Looking forward to hearing about your D’s gap year.</p>

<p>S didn’t take any courses during his gap year, but had no problem doing well in college even though he had been lackadaisical in high school. The gap year – the break from school as well as the organizational skills he learned in Americorps – seemed to be what helped him get off to a very strong start in college.</p>

<p>S isn’t, though, majoring in the sciences or math, subjects which might be hurt more by a year absence from taking courses.</p>