<p>MOSB- So sorry to hear about the sad lost to Songbird and to your whole community. Hugs and prayers.</p>
<p>EB- I am very happy that your d has such a good attitude. I think when they apply to so many schools, it is easier for a deferral or even a rejection. My d already has her deferral and still has two more schools to go. </p>
<p>In terms of deposits and housing deposits- what exactly is the moral question? One college d has applied to and been accepted does housing before May 1st. She needs housing there. She can put a relatively small deposit down (non-refundable) and then a housing deposit down (mostly refundable). We plan on doing this to preserve her housing. She hasn’t even visited yet and it isn’t like this school is just a safety. It really may very well be her first choice. She has none yet. If she decides it is not the school for her, she will withdraw her acceptance and they will have the few hundred dollars. </p>
<p>One super big reason why d cannot make decisions yet beyond the fact that she is still waiting on two schools for acceptances, two other schools for scholarship decisions, and yet two more schools for honors program decisions, is the fact that we don’t know where we will be living next school year. One of her main interests in one school is if we are moving to one area, then this school is a day’s drive away. If we are moving nearer to one of the other schools, those schools are probably higher on her list. Unfortunately for us now (though probably good for the future) is that my h has been put number one on the list of requested people in at least four different bases. While it is nice to know he is so wanted by so many people, it doesn’t make my d’s decision making any easier since we really can’t tell her yet where we will be living in July. We just have to let the higher ups fight it out (figuratively, of course) and maybe we will get a decision in March.</p>
<p>AmandaK - had to laugh at your description of your Christmas balancing act. I go through the same thing because DD2 is verrrry conscious of those things. When I am ready to wrap, I count up the gifts and, if need be, I will cram more than one thing into the same box for DD1 so that the count comes out even. In all of the hoopla on Christmas morning, DD2 doesn’t actually notice if there are more “things” in the other pile but she definitely counts the gifts under the tree beforehand.</p>
<p>We have paid the housing deposit at Ds top safety and really only did that due to limited housing options and being strongly encouraged by the school to select housing early. The deposit is fully refundable and we didn’t have to formally accept or pay any other deposits so I believe they are prepared for us to change our minds.</p>
<p>Can’t get MOSB’s situation out of my mind. It definitely puts my whole life in perspective. I can’t imagine how that poor boy’s parents are feeling and how they are managing to get through this horrible time. So I’ll hug D2 when she finally comes home from practice tonight and am soooo glad that D1 is coming home this weekend so I can hug her, too. Heck, I may even hug DH, too!</p>
<p>I was thinking of MOSB’s daughter’s friend’s parents as well. My 2011 son was so down first semester and so angry at us for postponing his driver’s license until his senior year that I was getting very worried. Knowing that his birthfather had made an attempt prior to son’s birth makes me particularly concerned when he is moody and uncommunicative. Fortunately, his mood has improved drastically in the three weeks since he got his driver’s license. It’s very hard to know when teenagers are just “normal moody” vs. depressed.</p>
<p>Knew someone whose 15 year old D started sleeping with a 19 year old guy. The D threatened suicide if the parents didn’t let them see each other. The D was in therapy and the therapist told the parents to take the D seriously; the therapist thought the D would actually kill herself.</p>
<p>D is a typical teenager - moods vary each day and sometimes, vary several times during the day. There are days when she’s very chirpy, bouncy, energetic and willing to talk (won’t stop talking!) and there are days when we just get back grunts and monosyllabic answers! It is hard dealing with these mood swings - but suicide goes well beyond mood swings. I can’t imagine the pain the boy’s parents and friends must be going through right now.</p>
<p>Popping in. wish i could more often these days. </p>
<p>mosb: i can’t begin to tell you how sorry i was to read your news. i don’t think there is anything worst than hearing about the death of a young kid. i send my deepest condolences to your daughter and to you. as a mom, i can’t imagine losing one of the kids in my children’s lives that i’ve known since 1st grade. ((hugs)) to you and yours.</p>
<p>cooker and mommylaw: a big congratulations to you both!! </p>
<p>OWM: congratulations to you too – a grandson walking, how cool is that? and hang in there w/ your mom. i’m trying to do the same here w/ my mom. baby steps, for your grandson and for us.</p>
<p>emmybet: sorry to hear about your daughter’s deferral. know how that feels. for us, since it was my S’s first choice and remains so, it’s been a little tough. he’s in the midst of writing a very heartfelt letter to his admissions rep. it’s already gone thru a many revisions – i think it’s been the hardest piece for him to write of all his college app, merit scholarship app writing. if any of you have any advice, i’d love to hear it. fortunately, he’s been accepted to his two EA schools and one rolling. in total, he applied to 15, so still lots more news to hear. </p>
<p>UT: after reading your description, i too will breathe easier when your son gets home! can’t imagine the stress you must be living with.</p>
<p>AmandaK - 26K! Wow - we just got D2s appendectomy bill, it was a little less - $22K. For some reason I thought an appendectomy would be around $10-12K. It was just a random number with no basis in any real knowledge but I was surprised at how much it cost. I was also a bit surprised at how long it took for D2 to really recover - even with laprascopic surgery, it was a good 24 hours before her anethesia wore off, another week before she could go back to school and another 5 weeks before the constant tiredness wore off. The way they were talking at the hospital, I had expected her to bounce back within days!</p>
<p>momofboston - I had a long discussion with my insurance co because of course, you receive these bills where claims were only partially paid, and they are billing us direct for the difference…those sorts of things. I come to find that the insurance co’s agreement with the hospital takes that $26K bill and they only pay about 10%. I never realized that! My copay was $500, and they paid the balance of about $2500, the hospital doesn’t get any more from them or me, weird.</p>
<p>MOSB and SB - my heart goes out to you. I am so numb from your news. Please accept my deepest condolences on your loss.</p>
<p>To those who shared good news on the prior 5-6 pages - I’ve been away from my computer for a few days and am just catching up. Congrats to all with your happy news of acceptances and scholarships. Welcome to the new posters. Please join us more often.</p>
<p>Another snow day tomorrow for our son. No excuse not to get scholarship applications done.</p>
<p>I’m still at my mom’s. She had bandages removed from her skin grafts today which was great. Visit to the primary care physician–not so much. Mom has postponed seeing her and has not been honest with us about blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, etc. Nothing that can’t be fixed with medication and diet, but she is so stubborn she may not comply.</p>
<p>And to top it off, my niece hit black ice on the drive back to her college. Flipped and totalled her car in the middle of the state. 200 miles from her parents. About 120 miles from us. She is fine–only a scratch from broken glass. She and the two boys with her were wearing seatbelts. They are in a hotel near the crash site, riding out the storm, and waiting for my brother to be able to get there and rescue them.</p>
<p>It’s always something, isn’t it?</p>
<p>We have put down a deposit at our state flagship. It’s refundable up until May 1. By that time, we will know about the reach (deferred EA) and merit aid at all three schools.</p>
<p>OWM- Thank goodness your niece was wearing a seatbelt! *Sometimes you have to wonder how they can walk away from a car that flips. I hate that other students were involved, but I will admit to thinking not being alone after such trauma and trying to seek help was a good thing.</p>
<p>I’m thinking of you watching that beautiful grandbaby walking. Amazing!! I hope o have that same joy…in about ten years, lol. But then we don’t really choose the timing. OWM, you are a wonderful example of a loving, supportive parent. I hope I will show your grace and wisdom when my children choose their own timing. What I would miss out on if I don’t!</p>
<p>Thank goodness they were wearing seatbelts! We are suppose to get snow today and wouldn’t you know S chooses this day to ask us to unground him and let him drive to school. It would be the first time since he got his license and I know he is itching to do it, but I think he will be taking the T. We told him he could drive when he takes finals, which start Friday.</p>
<p>OWM - Glad everyone is ok, that is my worst nightmare, so much black ice these last few days, comes up suddenly at night. Glad also your Mom is making progress!! My mom is stubborn as all get out about her going on 6 wk sickness which is “getting better…” - she threw her back out now due to coughing and it just keeps going on and on. Yesterday she wouldn’t talk to me on the phone because I won’t shut up about her needing to see a real doctor. </p>
<p>My procrastinator is at it again, delayed writing a 3 pg english paper until 10 pm. Went to bed at 12, woke up at 4:30 to finish writing. Errrgh.</p>
<p>AK-my procrastinator daughter was also up until all hours working on an English paper. She completely forgot about it over what turned into the four day weekend, when of course she could have had plenty of time to write it. Sometimes I shudder in fear about her off at college next year!!</p>
<p>Amanda and holliesue - S is not so much a procrastinator as 10D. 3 day weekend and at bedtime Monday she suddenly remembers she has homework, a lot of it. H flipped because we had asked her over the weekend and she was sure she had none. Of course, somehow it was my fault because I wasn’t managing the kids well. ;-( It used to be easier when her school used planners, now the kids are using macbooks and unless her computer is on looking up assignments can take several minutes (so impatient I am!). It does crack me up how these kids suddenly remember these things at bedtime the night before. What is going on in their brains?</p>
<p>We had the 4 day weekend plus Fri he missed due to all day area band rehearsal. I asked repeatedly whether he had any homework and it was no (because THIS wasn’t due until Thurs so hey, why worry?) And it wasn’t a “Tell me what you did over the winter break” kind of paper either. It was a find an article that highlights an aspect of Hamlet that we didn’t discuss in class and write a 3 pg reaction paper. So he picks a 20-some pg thing written in 1910 by a psychiatrist about oedipal complex and Hamlet. Eeeeesh. So at 10 pm? This is when you select the article and begin reading it? Issue with him is, he is so damn pleasant about it. Apologizes profusely and sincerely, wakes himself up, is all cherry and nice in the am. Again, he is a professional. I told him calmly, quiety, basically this won’t fly at college and one D or F and his butt is back to our local cc (which in this town is a fate worse than being arrested and sent to juvi.</p>
<p>amanda, I can’t help thinking your kid is going to go far on all that charm. I’m serious - it’s a great skill that you either have or you don’t.</p>
<p>I am like a kid at Christmas waiting for this semester to be over tomorrow. Starting Tuesday life will be SO DIFFERENT. Yes, she has to do “well” in school, but nothing is really on the line any more after tomorrow. None of her schools would frown on a B, or rescind her over a C. These grades are IT. </p>
<p>Japanese D sounds like she’s going to do OK, too (at least no worse than the average kid at our HS). She has learned so much this semester!</p>
<p>My D is a procrastinator, but she also knows she can’t do work in the wee hours. So she has this quirky way of procrastinating - she’ll save the work until the last minute that will give her time to do it and not be up all night or get up early. Get it? So she stressed about those last apps last weekend - except she did start them right away Sat morning, got her freak-out done by 3 p.m., and had them finished by 5:30. I guess it’s a system. She’s a procrastinator AND she’s doesn’t want to lose sleep or fun time. Equally, I guess.</p>