<p>HH- Similar issues in my house. I feel like my rear never leaves the drivers seat some days. My S did not get his license til 2 months prior to his 18th bday. I can’t tell you how much I don’t miss the times he asks if he can go hang out with friend X who lives 20 miles away for a couple of hours. I would end up driving 80 miles and spending almost an hour and a half in the car for him to hang for 2 hours.</p>
<p>Word of warning: I just tried booking a hotel near my son’s college for graduation weekend NEXT MAY (weekend of 19th & 20th), and all of the decent hotels near campus are reserved already. So we’re staying several miles away. Lesson learned.</p>
<p>I’ll keep checking later, to see if anything opens up. Apparently the very closest hotel doesn’t show any openings because they’re deciding if they are going to remodel or not. So I’ll keep checking on that.</p>
<p>Good news: Tomorrow is D’s last day of high school. Yippee!</p>
<p>Yes, $150 sounded ridiculous to me too, I am hoping there is a security deposit in there that we get back? Pls pls… Asked ds, and of course he has no clue. He just handed Mommy’s credit card over to them and signed something. (WHAT DID YOU SIGN??? cue blank stare from kid)</p>
<p>Arisamp - glad the festivities weren’t blown away by that storm & tornado. Saw some awful pics of what happened in MA.
O-Mom - ugh, how far in advance are people booking these things??? I don’t even know when band camp starts yet - this summer…another thing to bug ds about. Hopefully there will be a hotel nearby.</p>
<p>Seriously?</p>
<p>Asked our kiddo (who will be away all summer training/competing nationally/int’l in sport) what the friends are doing now after graduation…</p>
<p>NONE have jobs, and NONE are doing much of anything at all…
except hanging at the beach or mall everyday…</p>
<p>I am shocked!</p>
<p>So am I showing my age that if kiddo wasn’t committed this summer to sport (will compete at on varsity team at the U), a summer job would be a requirement? </p>
<p>Also–sigh,
many of our kids textbooks aren’t being bought back by the school store this term–I am so tired of them changing editions–I am hoping to unload the majority to Amazon…</p>
<p>Kiddo got thank you notes written and they went in today’s mail. Also has mailed the physical/innoculation forms. Completed required math and science questionaire for placement. Completed supplementary financial aid forms including alumni scholarship endowments etc…</p>
<p>Is anyone else having “sticker shock” from the first payments to your student’s university. Kiddo was surprised to learn we have already started paying for the coming years tuition even before graduation day from high school!</p>
<p>When I was a teen, PT or seasonal jobs were plentiful. Summer jobs are tough to come by today, especially in areas where unemployed or underemployed adults have already claimed them. I am happy that one of my HS’ers has a summer job, but I told the other one (rising senior) if she can’t find employment I expect her to return to her volunteer gig at the hospital…or to find a new place to do added community service. She won’t be hanging out at the beach or by the pool all summer…</p>
<p>S1 had to get clearance from his employer to work half-days for a couple weeks, while he practices for an allstar football game to raise funds for Shriners hospital, and for days off the day of the game and for a couple commitments at his college over the summer. I made sure he was up front about those commitments before he began.</p>
<p>We lucked out with textbook buy-back - maybe 2/3 were accepted for a fraction of purchase price. I told S1 he could keep the funds…to motivate him to get there early.</p>
<p>We hadn’t received a request for a deposit or anything, so I called the college last week to make sure everything was okay. Financial Office said we can expect our first invoice to arrive in the next week or so, with the payment due by 7/1.</p>
<p>My D is lucky to keep her job as long as possible. She may have the chance to increase the working hours after graduation.</p>
<p>Good luck to all of you.</p>
<p>
My D’s school tuition, fees, and room & board isn’t due until the end of August, on the first day of classes. I’m sure that on that day, I will suffer sticker shock!</p>
<p>My son’s tuition payment is due in mid-August. Two more semesters to go! :)</p>
<p>I realize that the economy has impacted the availability of teen jobs–
when I was in hs, I was a babysitter/mother’s helper, a waitress at a restaurant…and then a receptionist in a doctor’s office.
Kids often got jobs bagging groceries. Now many of the waitress jobs at local places are filled with adults and the grocery store clerks and baggers are all retirees.</p>
<p>Still, I am surprised there isn’t anyone our teens know with summer work. Our kids have always had to be occupied with either sport commitments, community service commitments etc…no 24/7 beach goers here.</p>
<p>Agreed that those kids who have jobs are fortunate. The owners of the furniture store where DS2 works go to church with us. DS1 worked there in high school as well. Both boys have a good work ethic and will do whatever they are asked, but they realize their church connection and youth group leadership got them these very flexible jobs.</p>
<p>DS’s roommate cannot find a job, primarily because people hiring now are looking for employeees to stay beyond Aug. 17. Other friends had jobs throughout the school year that they have kept (grocery store, Kohl’s, TJ Maxx) and some have seasonal jobs–painting crew for school district, ice cream stand, life guarding, nannying for school-age kids. Others are working in parents’ medical office doing filing, etc.</p>
<p>We have no beach nearby to taunt us!</p>
<p>HH- I so hear you about the driving and the attitude, except mine drives but has no car so the attitude was about me saying she needs to pay me for her not necessary driving (like the 60 mile roundtrip she did to go to a movie and to dinner at her friend’s house). I don’t make her pay for trips to stores and things like that but movies- yes. </p>
<p>I think if I survive these next few days, I will be set. Not only am I dealing with mortgage applications, graduation issues, sending transcript, setting up college payment plan, setting up movers, and getting ready for our trip next week, but the girls have the cardboard regatta, swim and dive practice, and now my dog needs to see the vet. I told them straight out that the way I am surviving better than another parent who was late dropping off a student here for the boat building by over two hours is by drinking massive quantities of coffee.</p>
<p>Seems like a lot of stuff going on and each of us is at a different point. Son starts with first paying client tomorrow. He is also going to try to get various places to hang up his flyers which advertise his computer classes and math tutoring.</p>
<p>Need some opinions on computer tracking software. DS’s Lojack subscription is ending soon. School send info on Worth Track (MUCH cheaper) along with Personal Property insurance info. DS will have two laptops at school - one required to be purchased thru school, his own 3 year old laptop which will be used more for games. </p>
<p>** Any one have experience with Lojack or Worth Track?
** How much insurance coverage are you planning to buy, if any?</p>
<p>Amandak, that’s some total $ for prom! Sorry for your pocketbook, but it helps me feel better about what I paid for the recital expenses.</p>
<p>And speaking of that…thank you all for so graciously and warmly commenting on what (in hindsight) I think was a post containing a tad too much mom-pride, and a tad too little restraint. When I re-read it later, I thought, Gee, brag much???</p>
<p>I really appreciate the spirit in which my enthusiasm and excitement were received. I know how many amazingly talented kids we have here, and hope I didn’t cross the line into Diva-Mom territory. :eek:</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>LOL, OWM. Know what you mean!</p>
<p>Arisamp, I’m so glad you were able to get some pics of your d, without the weather ruining everything. I’m sure she looked gorgeous indeed, soft curls or no!</p>
<p>Rant away, HighHead. Sometimes it just helps to vent to a sympathetic crowd. :)</p>
<p>MOSB - You have every reason to be proud. I, for one, loved every detail, every word.</p>
<p>mosb - Totally not taken as Diva-mom - really, I loved the detail and what she said to you…god, we all wish we could find those moments in the “kid on the couch” - so thank you for the “bragging”, I loved reading all about it.
Well, posted some prom pics, take a gander. He’s one big ole’ ham in the camera. There’s one shot of his “bros” (plus some kid who got into the shot who I don’t know - go figure), these are the guys who would ditch the girls and go out once a week or so for a bro-social. One is a rocket scientist. Came over my house when they were in 6th grade, hacked into my dh’s complex system - burned down the firewall for fun, built a fridge in his 8th grade locker, has a web devt biz (making 5 figures easy). Another is a genius music composer, has a band, plays in nyc clubs… Some fine friends. Can’t wait to see where they all end up. Yearbook came out - misspelled ds’ last name 3 separate times, one being homecoming king…(really?)</p>
<p>^AK – I feel for you. How hard is it to spell k-a-y-a-k??? Geez! :)</p>
<p>Classof2015— too funny!</p>
<p>AK That is too funny…(about the mis-spelling—ah yearbooks…)</p>
<p>and those are kids who are going places!!</p>
<p>So, the research professor may have used a “younger” picture on his project website. On the department website, he looks a little grayer and is wearing glasses! </p>
<p>Great prom pictures, Amanda. I think your prom group there and ours here could have a good time together. Good clean rocket science/physics/engineering fun.</p>
<p>
thanks for the laugh now I can go to bed with a smile on my face!</p>
<p>Most of S’s friends do not have FT summer jobs, just continuing existing pt jobs. S started his outdoor mantaince/landscaping job today. Ends up that 2 of the other 5 kids are the owner’s college age sons picking up trash and weeding alongside my son. Gotta have a lot of respect for a millionaire who has his sons doing that. My laugh of the day was when S told me they gave him 2 shirts to wear when he was working, in the largest size they had, L. He told me they were like muscle shirts on his 6’3" / 235lb body. I told him to wait til he washes and dries them. :)</p>
<p>MaryOC - You must have missed this thread - <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/1150825-residence-hall-linens-they-good.html?highlight=college+linens[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/1150825-residence-hall-linens-they-good.html?highlight=college+linens</a> It’s linen-spam!</p>
<p>My son’s prom is Saturday night, I think we’re paying 1/2 of what you paid AK! Tux is $78 and tickets were $67 each. I don’t know about the flowers - son is picking them up himself. He’s taking our car and dinner is included. I guess we got away cheap! The forecast for here on Saturday is for 82 degrees and sunny - perfect for the girls skimpy gowns. We’re planning to do the photo op at a nearby park. I think I’m more excited then my son!</p>
<p>Jobs are scarce here too. My oldest son is trying to find a “real” job in NYC or a seasonal job here to tide him over until he can find a real job. My grad school daughter, OTOH, has not been unemployed since she was a junior in HS. She worked small jobs all through college, during summer and winter breaks and is doing a paid internship while in grad school. oops, can you tell I’m a bit frustrated with #1 son?</p>