<p>Yes, that balance between telling and not telling. D has made a draft of the Common App, hasn’t typed it in yet, and as far as I know is “thinking” about the essay. I’m pretty positive she hasn’t looked at all of her schools’ websites yet and found out who wants what when. </p>
<p>Lately this is how conversations about the apps go around here:</p>
<p>Me: I’m happy to help if there’s anything you need.
D: OK, thanks.
Me: It would be great to have it done this weekend.
D: Yeah, I know.
Me: Should we sit down at some point and get it worked out? Maybe later?
D: Maybe.
Me: Well, as long as it gets done, I’ll let you run this.
D: Thanks. I’m fine.</p>
<p>She’s nice about it, but then she doesn’t get around to it. I know there’s an element of fear. At some point I might have to say Look, just do it NOW. Maybe I’ll get lucky and someone else (GC) will say it to her. </p>
<p>I can’t say she’s not doing anything. She is not a type-A at all and likes a balance between stuff she has to do and stuff she wants to do … this weekend she did a spontaneous art project, just “because,” and hung out with friends. She’ll get this done, a combination of when-the-spirit-moves-her and a looming deadline. At some point if no one else does I may write down the deadlines for her. But I’d like not to, am resisting the urge to do it. I content myself right now with playing around with our schedule and imagining audition trips and how they’ll work out.</p>
<p>I’m also happy to see her going off to school in good spirits every day. She is definitely enjoying being a senior. We’ve had rougher years, years where the troubles weren’t about whether she was lining her ducks up perfectly, but whether we could even find the ducks. So I’m OK with this. Soon we’ll be able to say “The apps are in!” and that will be that.</p>
<p>I love the comparisons with the younger kids and their lives. I also think about D1 and her life in college, when HS and this really quite small blip in our lives is over and almost forgotten.</p>
<p>EmmyBet, You have so much more restraint then I do. My son is a great time manager but he does much better with deadlines. He also gets anxious and stressed if he feels he has too much on his plate. Knowing what I know about him and his challenging senior year schedule, I hope I was doing him a favor by giving him the common app deadline of yesterday. I also attached a bribe to it that proved to be very good motivation.</p>
<p>I’m finding myself feeling strangely happy and sad today, similar to how I felt when son went to Kindergarten. Happy that he’s gotten to this stage and sad that this will be the last year I will ever have a child go off to school in the morning. I took the first day of school picture, just like I do every year and he gave me his usual embarrassed smile for doing it. If I feel like this now, I’m going to be a basket case when he goes off to college next fall.</p>
<p>^ sigh… I am not home in the morning and I am pretty sure H forgot to take a picture of S. Hopefully I get 2nd day of school picture of S when he takes a first day of school picture of D Wednesday!</p>
<p>kathiep - We wouldn’t be moms if we didn’t feel the way you do. I’m sure our kids have similar thoughts and we will witness various atypical behaviors in the next year as these feelings manifest themselves thru their actions rather than words.</p>
<p>I only have restraint because it’s September 7th and I am trying very hard not to be the maniac mom my kids think I am. I’m giving it until mid-September at the earliest before I turn up the gas. At the very least I’ll look up the info soon myself - one can only nag successfully when one is well-informed.</p>
<p>D1 was the type where she informed me she had everything done and ready - I never had to think at all about her apps. D2 … I may end up making a couple of lists for her. But she has a kernel of gumption that sometimes blossoms when you least expect it, and I really want to give it a chance now. There is a chance that if I wait just a couple more weeks that she’ll come to me and say she’s got the essay done and everything else charted out her own way.</p>
<p>The good thing around here is that all of the publics open their rolling admissions pretty soon, and 90% of kids apply to them, so the culture at school is to be getting started. She’ll want to keep up with the gang.</p>
<p>I lost my chance at 1st day of school pictures … took one of D1 for kindergarten and forgot after that. Oh, well. But we’ve been very sentimental around here lately, regardless. D2 sat on the couch this morning and reminisced about how it felt when she was younger to be getting up for school. And even though I threatened never to make her lunch again, I’ve made it almost every day so far (well, that is partly because I’m helping Japanese D with hers, anyway). D2’s laughing at me for that. She’s right; I really should stop.</p>
<p>“Slithey - you get the “weird move-in” award! All hail to you!”</p>
<p>LOL, thanks EmmyBet. But my reason for posting was in part to show that kids really can figure out how to handle problems. It’s very easy to read my story and think OMG why DIDN’T my parents take me up and help me with all of this? But they didn’t really need to. If we’d had cell phones back then, maybe I’d have asked for more help. Or maybe not. Cell phones do make it tougher, sometimes, for kids to learn to rely on their own problem-solving instincts. When D1 was in Boston a few weeks ago walking back to the hotel from the T and she got lost, she called me asking if I could google on directions to guide her back to her hotel. Why she didn’t call the parent who was AT the hotel, maybe a mile away, is beyond me. :rolleyes: </p>
<p>I’m planning on pairing D1’s first day of K pic with her senior portrait for maximum cute impact. </p>
<p>A coworker just came by with an enormous box of homemade macarons. Unlike macaroons, these are difficult and fiddly to make. I am in awe.</p>
<p>I really wish we could post photos here, because my son’s first day of K picture is one for the ages. He has big eyes anyway, and his eyes are way bugged out in the picture (not done on purpose - it was just his expression.) We used it in his senior ad and we got lots of comments.</p>
<p>"I’m finding myself feeling strangely happy and sad today, similar to how I felt when son went to Kindergarten. Happy that he’s gotten to this stage and sad that this will be the last year I will ever have a child go off to school in the morning. "</p>
<p>I was waiting for a post like this! First day of senior year for my youngest child today. I was a basket case last night…and then looked at the first day of Kinder. picture and completely fell apart! I told my S and H to get used to it…it would probably be happening all year!</p>
<p>Long time poster with new sign-on for this thread. Have a very private kid and family, so need to do my best not to be identified with this child.</p>
<p>A while ago, I think on one of the going off to college threads (maybe boys2helm thread on "we miss him, does he miss us) someone had a wonderful post about loving the job of being a parent of a young child, and having some sadness at a part of it being over. Every year my child and I got the planner organized together. Kid would write out the tabs for each course, and I would put them in the planner. This year…didn’t need or want my help! I am happy for my kid…and glad of the independence (has the roots, and is now trying out the wings) but I’m still sad!</p>
<p>Well, I am kinda happy that S’s yearbook pics came out so horrible so I don’t have pay all that money. After the first sitting, with his head shopped off in several of the pics and the ridiculous poses I told S to go for a second sitting and only get the headshots done. I will have the kids pics taken professionally elsewhere and I know it won’t cost me more than $200- $300.</p>
<p>i have never thought of myself as a “helicopter parent”, but I fear turning in to one! I have to consciously steer myself away from that path… Maybe those helicopter characteristics are revealing themselves because time is running out on our having any control at all over their lives? They are really growing up … !</p>
<p>yes= these were not good either–AND they had kiddo in weird poses–clearly uncomfortable–some just plain silly–nobody is casually caught sitting/standing like that…!!!</p>
<p>Of the head shots–I am not too excited–I may call to see what can be done for a second sitting–otherwise we will just choose the best of the mediocre.
I have taken really great shots of kiddo…these just look stiff</p>
<p>D was SO uninterested in the whole senior portrait thing that we bypassed the recommended photographer with the multiple outfits and poses. Went to Sears. Got a great package, complete with CD for less than 180 dollars, included 13 sheets of photos. It is a fantastic picture of D too!</p>
<p>“When D1 was in Boston a few weeks ago walking back to the hotel from the T and she got lost, she called me asking if I could google on directions to guide her back to her hotel. Why she didn’t call the parent who was AT the hotel, maybe a mile away, is beyond me.”</p>
<p>I once had my husband call me in the USA from Germany asking me to look up directions for him…</p>
<p>Oh, yes I’ve had kids ask me for directions from all different parts of the country. Now they just whip out their smart phones and tell ME how to go!</p>
But my reason for posting was in part to show that kids really can figure out how to handle problems. It’s very easy to read my story and think OMG why DIDN’T my parents take me up and help me with all of this? But they didn’t really need to. If we’d had cell phones back then, maybe I’d have asked for more help. Or maybe not. Cell phones do make it tougher, sometimes, for kids to learn to rely on their own problem-solving instincts. When D1 was in Boston a few weeks ago walking back to the hotel from the T and she got lost, she called me asking if I could google on directions to guide her back to her hotel. Why she didn’t call the parent who was AT the hotel, maybe a mile away, is beyond me. :rolleyes: </p>