For parents of younger teens

Parent Cafe
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<p>Our priest told a story at Mass today that I thought would be very applicable to parents, especially so many CC-type parents with their “eyes on the prize” :</p>

<p>A man had heard about a beautiful park about 50 miles from his house. He decided to drive to see it. His friend said, “Don’t worry, when you get to the park there will be a sign that says, ‘The beginning of the park.’” The man drove and drove. He passed beautiful flowers, trees, lakes and streams, but he was so busy looking for the “Beginning of Park” sign that he didn’t notice the scenery. Finally he came to a sign, only to find that it said, “End of Park.”</p>

<p>I think a lot of high school parents are so focused on getting their kid admitted to college that we miss their ride thru high school, and if we’re not careful and pressure them too much our kids will miss some of the best times of their young lives. There’s SO much more to high school than taking the “right” courses and studying. Some of your child’s best memories will be the night they spent playing Wii with their friends, or that elective that colleges won’t “count” toward their GPA but that they really enjoyed (like pottery or woodworking). A while ago I read a thread where a parent couldn’t decide whether to let her kid go on a weekend trip with the band, because they had scheduled her for the SAT that weekend. A lot of parents concurred that the kid should skip the band trip. I was so saddened by that thread - the SATs are offered almost every month, and whether you take them in March, April or May isn’t going to make a life-changing difference on where a kid gets into college. But a weekend trip with your band friends, to a performance you’ve worked hard for, is a memory not to be passed up.</p>

<p>So remember - don’t just focus on the goal at the end of the journey - make sure you and your kid enjoy the ride! As the parent of a college sophomore, I can tell you that high school goes by faster than you ever thought possible, and then your kid is gone. Enjoy them while they’re home, and let them enjoy themselves sometimes, too.</p>

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<p>lafalum–thanks for this…it made me cry…well a lot of things do that these days, but it it is so true.</p>

<p>My son is a freshman, my daughter a hs senior–I cannot believe how fast its gone. In addition to being happy they had fun along the way, and kept the pressure off for the most part, I am also glad we built a relationship throughout their high school years, my kids laughing at my “momisms”, playing Wii fit–swimming with our golden retriever, talking politics or life til 2 a.m.—bc that is what will insure that we stay connected. my daughter said today, she knows we’ll always stay close. </p>

<p>my 7th grader will reap the benefits of being a third…I’ll be that much more aware of whats important for him…</p>