I Have Figured Out Why College Was Invented

Parent Cafe
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<p>I have discovered that college was invented as a legal mechanism to get teenagers permanently (in most cases) out of the house. ;)</p>

<p>Necessity, it is said, is the mother of invention. And just when 17/18-year-olds become unbearable to live with … voilà! There is a viable means of escape … for both parties.</p>

<p>I realize that she is experiencing a lot of pressure right about now but my daughter is slowly but surely becoming more and more … a huge instigator of angst, drama and pain in the household.</p>

<p>I don’t know whatever happened to the adorable and loving little girl I used to have. But some space alien has apparently taken over her body. It could be a lot worse I suppose but I will be very, very happy when this “alien phase” is finally over.</p>

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<p>This phenomenon is called “fouling the nest.” Fortunately, it is usually temporary.</p>

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And just when 17/18-year-olds become unbearable to live with … voil</p>

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<p>This also explains why it’s optional. It allows those parents who have joyful, tolerable kids to hold on to them if they choose to!</p>

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<p>Seriously? I thought it was to separate us from our money. But IKWYM about the “alien” phase. S1 went through it especially with my H, who was counting the days until he left, but now S1 is almost 22 and they are friends again. H has had a hard time losing his best buddies as Ss have grown up.</p>

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<p>My middle child is leaving for his gap year program in 21 days. I seriously don’t know if I will survive that long. He is intolerable. We’re going to tell him he needs to find different living arrangements when he returns in March.</p>

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[quote]
I have discovered that college was invented as a legal mechanism to get teenagers permanently (in most cases) out of the house. </p>

<p>Necessity, it is said, is the mother of invention. And just when 17/18-year-olds become unbearable to live with … voil</p>

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<p>Thanks! I see I am not alone. ;)</p>

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<p>Yes, that is what I’ve heard.</p>

<p>And that is what I keep reminding her mother … this is a phase that will *eventually<a href=“some%20day”>/i</a> pass.</p>

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<p>My oldest was an angel and easy til the day she left. I still talk on the phone with her every day</p>

<p>My youngest just left. She wanted to go and we were ready for her to go. She’s just very independent and ready to be on her own. I’m glad of this. </p>

<p>But I miss the heck out of them both, for different reasons !</p>

<p>“This too shall pass,”. GF</p>

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<p>I’ve always thought that adolescence was Nature’s way of arranging things so that by the time the kids are ready to leave home, the parents are ready to let them! College or not.</p>

<p>After all, no one ever says, “Darling, I think it’s time we thought about having a teenager.”</p>

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<p>GolfFather, I strongly recommend this book:
Get Out of My Life, but First Could You Drive Me & Cheryl to the Mall: A Parent’s Guide to the New Teenager, by Anthony E. Wolf</p>

<p>I needed it most when my daughter was 12, but it’s still useful now that she’s 17.5. You can get it used on Amazon or B&N for $4 postpaid, and it’s now an e-book.</p>

<p>It’s an easy and funny read so you aren’t losing much if it doesn’t help, but I bet that it will. I have given at least 6 copies to friends with unbearable teens of various ages.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

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<p>oldmom4896, I loved that book! Of course, I bought it just because of the title!</p>

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<p>That permanently part will be challenged by the boomerang generation. College might become a nice, pleasant, full of fun and parental freedom, four to six years sandwich between extended at-home stay. The only difference for the “after college” years is that the returning prodigy might bring a mate to dull the blow.</p>

<p>As far as the invention, I have no doubt that colleges were created to impart knowledge. Today, they mostly exist for a less atruistic reason, namely as businesses that create and support plenty of jobs for the chosen ones.</p>

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<p>This explains why babies are cuter than teenagers.</p>

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<p>Thanks! I will take a look.</p>

<p>Another good book is “The Blessing of a B Minus.”
It has helped to understand.
But unfortunately, I have read the book.
My D has not. ;)</p>

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<p>It didn’t really work here. The unbearable years were 14 and 15. I guess we could have sent them off to college, as both could have handled the academics, but it didn’t seem like a good idea at the time.</p>