Parents of the HS Class of 2011 - Original

Parents of HS Class of 20xx
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<p>It has been a few weeks since I’ve had time to post on this forum, but I have been able to periodically skim the thread and keep up on all the goings on. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading about everyone’s proms, recitals, graduations, and parties. </p>

<p>D1’s Sr. prom was this past weekend and she had a great time- I’ll get pictures on Shutterfly soon. Happy to say that the “proma” was minor in the scheme of things ;)</p>

<p>D1 graduates in 2 days. At her HS, NHS members graduate in white gowns (everyone else is in blue) and for the past month or so, she was worried that she didn’t have enough service hours in her final semester of HS to maintain her status. Well, she picked up her cap & gown yesterday - and it was a WHITE gown :smiley: </p>

<p>D2 (HS class of 2014) has officially transferred to a new HS for next year. She is finishing her freshman year at a very large selective public HS (4400 kids) and will be switching to a smaller selective public HS (2300 kids), which is the same HS that D1 is graduating from. I am thrilled that she’ll be at the smaller school which I think is a better fit and a more convenient option for us. Of course it means that I will be dealing with double transitions this fall- D1 to college and D2 to a new HS. :o</p>

<p>D1 starts her paid summer job as a day camp counselor on June 23. D2 will be an unpaid volunteer (read: slave) junior counselor at the same camp so both will be busy this summer.</p>

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<p>OWM - could fate be telling your son any more clearly that he has made the right choice? No “road not taken” for him, I think!</p>

<p>kinderny - when will it be over? We all want to cheer for you.</p>

<p>amanda - you have one rollicking household. I think a bunch of us would find it awfully fun.</p>

<p>D says it’s starting to “sink in” that she’s done - she slept until 8 yesterday, 8:30 today, all a huge improvement over 6:30 or earlier for the past 4 years.</p>

<p>No job for her - they just aren’t around here for anyone, and if she expanded her search, she’d be spending $40+/week on gas to commute. But she has developed a decent internship opportunity that will help her resume, which is just as valuable right now, I think, and it will keep her structured and busy. And like mosb’s D, she “earned” herself a pretty awesome scholarship, so I’m not sweating anything except that she 1) get something onto her work record, even if upaid; and 2) budget her entertainment costs. I think she can manage both. Thrift shopping and sub sandwiches are big outings for her, and she’s working out ways to go to theatre for free if possible (ushering, etc.). She can “earn” a bit of fun money from us by doing some ugly tasks around here if she needs it.</p>

<p>I think she can manage to have a nice summer and have enough money to manage at school. It won’t hurt her to get into that college penny-pinching mode, anyway. It’s a lesson that goes with being this age.</p>

<p>D1 is gone - will be landing in Puerto Rico any minute now. That hasn’t sunk in for me yet … I do hope I can manage going to see her in a couple of months. Otherwise I truly don’t know when I will, since she likely will return from PR when H and I will be on a trip in September, and she might just move herself to her next faraway internship without seeing us. Man, that’s weird.</p>

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<p>kimdawg, It sounds like your daughter is doing wonderfully. I’ll share my own experience. I was younger than the kids in my class. I skipped 3rd grade. When I entered HS, they skipped me to 10th grade, but I reversed that after two weeks because that put me in my sister’s grade (and in a couple of her classes). </p>

<p>As a male, I was the shortest kid in my class my freshman year. I grew my last inch as a college freshman. So, I was small until senior year (I’m now 6’2" and 205 pounds and played a varsity sport in HS and college). For me, the skipping probably was most difficult in HS as I took longer to develop the requisite social skills. I wasn’t able to drive until a few days after I graduated from HS. I recently went to a HS reunion and a woman I was friends with mentioned that I asked her out on a date (I don’t remember any dates in HS but I guess I was wrong) but she said I was very embarrassed to ask her to drive. </p>

<p>By college, things were generally fine, although I think I was still pretty awkward freshman and sophomore years. Intellectually, I don’t think there were any issues (I attended three of HYPMS and taught at one at the beginning of my career). I had a freshman year roommate who for some reason resented me. Not long ago, many years after graduation, I visited a classmate in Hanover (who was/is friends the the difficult roommate but whom I didn’t know well) when taking ShawSon to Dartmouth. She said, “Weren’t you two years younger than our class?” So, I guess people somehow knew that I was young (even though it was only one year).</p>

<p>Do you see any lack of social comfort or social maturity? Girls tend to develop faster both socially and physically. For me, social development and size, were probably issues, and would probably be bigger issues for a male than they would be for a female. On the basis of my own experience, given the downsides, I don’t think I got much intellectually from skipping and wouldn’t recommend it – I was bored before they skipped me and was bored after they skipped me. It wasn’t until I got to college that I said, “there are people like me here.” To their credit, my parents asked me if I wanted to attend a private high school as it was pretty clear that I wasn’t especially challenged. I was afraid that private school would be lots of snooty rich kids (which was probably correct and we weren’t rich or snooty) and so I said no, but in hindsight, I think that was a mistake.</p>

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<p>Just caught up on pages and pages of posts. Been busy creating Father’s Day gifts for hubby & dad. Made photobooks for both including graduation and senior pictures. Hubby is also getting a photobook with pictures from the past year of our six grandkids and their parents plus a matching mug. Dad will get a mug with a lid (he spills) with grad pictures on it.</p>

<p>DS is staying busy with his tutoring jobs and scholarships. He still manages to clock in plenty of video game time and socializing.</p>

<p>Son started Kindergarten ‘on time’. He was 5 1/2. You have to be 5 by Sept 1. He was ready academically altho he probably would have had attention issues if he went to public school. Fortunately he was in private school thru grade 8. They were able to accommodate his attention issues which were mainly caused by boredom and difficulty sitting still. </p>

<p>After years of nagging, DS was finally allowed to skip 6th grade math which thrilled him. After it was done for him, the school realized there were others that needed the same challenge. It is now done as needed. It is my legacy to that school. </p>

<p>By ninth grade, he learned to sit still and hide his boredom (most of the time). He chose to attend an IB program b/c he assumed it would give him the most challenge and he would have classmates who wanted to excel. </p>

<p>I don’t regret not pushing him faster b/c he would not have been mature enough. If I held him back, he would have been more mature, but hopelessly bored.</p>

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<p>Hi all, introducing myself, been reading your board for awhile, have a D who just graduated last week and will be class of 2015 as well. Two older kids in College already and one left going into 9th grade. (Three girls, one boy)
Been on my older kid’s “school parents site” on CC, but just discovered this one…am a bit behind, won’t catch up on all 1105 pages (wow!) but hope you do continue this thread through University. BTW I would not recommend skipping children, my son skipped 6th grade and had a lot of the experiences that Shawbridge experienced in the social and self confidence arena, Academically he was fine and he is fine now but would not put him through that again. My D who just graduated has a late birthday and won’t be 18 till November and although she didn’t skip I feel like I got cheated out of a year! So my advice would be not to rush things! Anyway, just wanted to say hi and Congratulations to all!</p>

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<p>Welcome EAO1227. Glad you could join us. Where will your DD be going to college?</p>

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<p>EmmyBet:

</p>

<p>Isn’t that the truth? I asked him randomly the other night if he had any regrets about the process and did he wish he had widened his search beyond MIT, Purdue and Mizzou and he said “no” quickly and emphatically. </p>

<p>By the way, Purdue sent us a link to a survey about why he had declined their offer. I clicked on it out of courtesy. It was incredibly long and asked me things like my impression of the counseling services, student health center, etc., Things I had absolutely no knowledge of. Annoying. He’s taking his unwrapped “I’m a Boilermaker” t-shirt on the mission trip next week along with other shirts that he plans to throw away after wearing them doing home construction in the New Mexico desert!</p>

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<p>Welcome EAO- glad you joined us. Post on our drumroll thread where you student will be attending. <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/1107293-drum-roll-my-2011-dd-ds-attending.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/1107293-drum-roll-my-2011-dd-ds-attending.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>OWM- D got a similar survey for Siena College and I think Elmira. Unfortunately there was no place to put that she was turning the former down because the students watched Jersey Shore and the latter because they sent her a purple feather. (Why, yes, she did have a most discerning criteria for choosing. :wink: )</p>

<p>And EmmyBet- she does not graduate until the 18th.</p>

<p>(And D has still not graduated. And I still hate her school.)</p>

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<p>Congrats on all the recent graduations and those coming up this week. </p>

<p>I’m with those of you who are growling at family. I asked my brother 9 months ago to arrange time off work to bring my Dad out for graduation. Graduation is two weeks from today and still no verification if my brother can even get off work. Grrrrrrr!!! I called my Dad today to try and book his flight and he wants to wait for my brother. Grrrrr!!! Did I mention my brother isn’t returning my messages? Grrrrrr!!!</p>

<p>So now I have a jump thru hoops crazy plan as a back-up. I’m calling them tonight and making them book flights. If brother can’t make it, DH who will be out west on business can fly to Phoenix, fly out with my Dad, then one of us will fly home with him. Did I mention Grrrrr!!! </p>

<p>OK, rant off, I think :eek:</p>

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<p>EAO - welcome! I am sure you will have lots of good advice for us new to the college stuff.</p>

<p>Kinder - good things come to those who wait. :slight_smile: Perfect weather, perfect relatives, etc.</p>

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<p>First let me say, I am grateful for whatever ds gets. I am grateful that he was invited to attend the scholarship awards night and that he did, indeed receive a scholarship. What I find humerous is that all the recipients were listed on the program, save for the first award. He won that first award. Somewhere within the five minute speech of the attributes and accomplishments of the winner, I realized they were talking about my boy. When they quoted a recommendation letter which waxed poetic about my boy, I heard with booming clarity that he was appreciated, that he was “somebody”. What I didn’t get was the composure to video or photograph the moments that everyone in our family missed, having all sat through last weeks academic awards ceremony (of 3 hours) where he received one award - the 9th grade science award (where “WTH?” was his expression walking up to receive the plaque). Anyway, even more funny, is we have no idea of the value of this scholarship, the application didn’t mention it and when he went up to accept, he was handed an envelope which said they were sorry but there has been a delay with the brokerage firm and that they would deliver the (I suppose) check later this week. It is the mystery envelope. Maybe it’s a fruit basket. I don’t know.</p>

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<p>^maybe a fruit basket a week all throughout college! :slight_smile: Fingers crossed it’s a fruit basket filled with $100 bills.</p>

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<p>Mom of a new grad checking in here. Everything went beautifully, perfect weather, no travel glitches, and I handed him his diploma with nary a tear. I was truly too happy for him to feel sorry for myself. Now tonight, of course, he’s out party hopping and I’m sitting here wondering where the years went. I don’t want to hold on to this ready-for-the-world young adult; I want my playmate back, when he was 6, 8, or 10 and everything we did together was an adventure…</p>

<p>Congratulations to all of us who made it through graduations, and good luck to those still awaiting takeoff.</p>

<p>Scoutson’s only jobs this summer will be cleaning up his room and being on call for a few weeks after my hip replacement on 6/21. It will be a quick summer, I know. And I plan on reading this thread daily and posting sporadically, so I’m looking forward to continued companionship from you all!</p>

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<p>EAO - welcome and we’re glad you joined us!</p>

<p>I have to say that I am very proud of DD - she sat down today and wrote all 41 of her thank you notes today. She has one more day before her summer job starts but the job is only 3 days a week so she will have a nice combo of work days and play days. </p>

<p>I am also interested in either keeping this thread alive or starting a new one. I pick up new ideas here with regularity plus it’s a nice place to come and vent if needed.</p>

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<p>Ditto the welcome to EAO. And the idea of keeping this thread going or starting a new one for the College Class of 2015. I can’t imagine not hearing how all the fabulous families on this thread do in the future.</p>

<p>proudmom: 41 thank-yous in a day is impressive. DS2 has written four a day for 11 days and is now done with the gift thank you’s. He has a three more to write to local organizations that have awarded him scholarships. Have to be done before he can play the new video game that will arrive by UPS tomorrow. We both have our priorities!</p>

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<p>OWM - I seem to remember holding Call of Duty hostage while bluejr finished some part of the app process. There are few things he has to really ‘take away’. It was most effective however. </p>

<p>I’m here for the long haul. This is my middle kid. You know, when you know enough to know you don’t know jack? :wink: Yea, I figure that’s a good reason to stick around. Plus, I always read the sequel. These kids have one heck of a sequel next year and I can’t wait to hear it through your eyes!!</p>

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<p>Congrats to all the grads, counting down the hours here. Prom was Mon nite, I worked post prom and I am still exhausted. Fingers crossed for good weather on thursday for graduation. I hear it is going to be hot. I scraped the black jacket and long pants and actually got a dress that I think I am actually going to wear. D ordered a floppy hat as she said she can’t get any son.</p>

<p>H confessed he was tearing up reading the yearbook this am. We will both be crying I am sure. </p>

<p>No job so far for S. He really needs something, I can’t fund the gas and lunch fund all summer. It would also be nice to have some cash to bring to school, but I would be happy just not paying for gas and lunch. Like so many others on this forum, he did earn a big scholarship so we are grateful for that. I just don’t think sleeping until noon & going out for lunch is good preparation for freshman year.</p>

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<p>Welcome aboard to EAO1227!</p>

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<p>Amandak, LOL, but totally sympathizing with you. They have you outnumbered, they’re young and really smart, and “inquiring minds want to know.”</p>

<p>Years ago, my eldest niece (then 18) asked me a similar question as your ds. Caught unprepared (sb was little so I hadn’t really formulated a gameplan on this type of question yet), I simply said something lame like, “None of your business.” I remember she laughed and said, “that’s definitely a yes, otherwise you would’ve said no!”</p>

<p>Kathiep, count me in on either staying here or jumping to a new thread, if we start one, for College Class of 2015. As I’ve said before, I’m here for the duration, and that includes grad school! I suspect it won’t be just you and me, either. Lots of other empty nesters, or others who are very connected here and plan to stay on.</p>

<p>Aria, what a tragedy for your son’s school community. I’m so sorry for the loss of this girl and for her family. </p>

<p>MOB, congrats! Happy to have you cross the fence to us on the graduated side! Eagerly awaiting kinderny (who really hates that school), AK, and all others with almost-grads.</p>

<p>Classof2015, what a pain! Fwiw, here’s what I would do: calmly (as much as possible) tell h that this is a significant, milestone event in your kid’s life, and, as the father of this child he absolutely needs to be part of the dinner celebration. Reiterate that you offered the option for your sil to attend, with the attendant deadline. She exercised her prerogative to decline, you’ve accepted her choice, and that’s that. Mom, Dad, Son, and Daughter will be celebrating together at dinner. SIL is welcome to join the group back at the house for a late evening dessert or the next morning for brunch. Case closed. </p>

<p>Hi, EAO. Welcome!</p>

<p>Scoutsmom, congrats and welcome into the light of grad-ville! Very nice over here. We eagerly await the rest of you (especially kinderny, who really must get away from that school in the interest of her mental health). :)</p>

<p>Proudmom, I’M proud of your D too! 41 TY notes in one day is impressive. Sb got 34 done over the weekend, but that pales in comparison. Hat’s off to your wonderful D!</p>

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<p>OWM - yes, I was impressed with DD’s persistence also. She just wanted to be done so she sat down and did them all. She even took the time to personalize those that were to close friends and family (in addition to the little “script” she had come up with for the thank yous). Now she has today to enjoy with nothing hanging over her head. She begins her nanny/driver job tomorrow, ferrying two boys (15 and 11 yo)from place to place. The boys are extremely active so she’ll be on the go but it’s great money, lots better than retail and she will meet up with her friends @ the pool on the days that she & the boys are headed there.</p>