Update From OP - One Year Later
It’s hard to believe one year has passed since my original post. Never in a million years did I think there would be so many views. I would like to give a brief update on how things are going.
So after my post, DS moved out for a few days and quickly learned that life was much easier when living with mom and dad. He made the decision to go back to school and do better. We opted to give him the chance since he seemed genuine and sincere.
I would love to tell you that life has been great but we have had many ups and downs during the year. There was a bad roommate problem that persisted throughout the year. Classes got harder and DS became overwhelmed. He talked about quitting school a few times. We told him he could do that but once he did, he would be expected to get a job, move out, and start his adult life. No living with mom an dad while he worked minimum wage jobs. Period. He would have to be an adult and live the life as an adult in the real world. After a few days, he decided to stick with college and he started working hard.
Last fall he brought home 3 A’s and 2 B’s and he just finished the spring with 2 A’s. 2 B’s, and a C+ (very challenging gen ed class, we were fine with it). He still struggles with time management and tends to cram everything at the last minute. It irks me but he’s getting it done. Lots of students do that.
This summer he secured a paid internship and loves it. He’s starting to see first-hand the value of staying in school. He’s finally making a connection between what he learns in his classes to the industry he works in. It’s coming together nicely and he’s very excited about it.
Looking back, I stand by my original post from last year - it was a mistake of mine to stay on him every step of the way in high school. It delayed him in learning to manage himself and he continues to struggle in this area, although he is starting to improve. What’s done is done, and now that we are halfway through college, I think he is finally turning a corner.
I anticipate more bumps in the road in the next two years. He will continue to get overwhelmed and procrastinate, but we are reaching out to resources in his school to help him with that. Academic coaching and counseling services are something we will line up ahead of time so he can hit the ground running next semester.
Thanks for listening