My son got a job at a restaurant near his campus which, of course, is open every day except Christmas and he is typically scheduled for 6 days a week. I’m a sad mom 
It sounds like all of our 2014’s are doing well in the first semester of their sophomore year. DD arrives home tomorrow for her break. She had a difficult semester but she is reporting her grades should be very good. She is ready to come home for the holidays and spend time with friends and family, particularly her little nieces and nephews.
DS is really enjoying the home-cooked food! He took it for granted until he left home, but after almost a year of dorm food and his own cooking - or lack thereof - over the summer, he’s finally realized what a good cook his father is.
It’s fun to hear so many success stories!
Our DS is doing very well also, though his success looks different than that of many of your offspring. A few months back, I told the story of DS dropping out early in his first semester of college. He took some time off to regroup and to deal with some anxiety issues. His meds were adjusted. He got therapy. He took a class at the local CC during the summer. I want you all to know that his success is continuing.
He’s having huge success at our local community college. Excellent grades, and he’s involved in campus activities and clubs. He enjoys school and likes (most of) his teachers. His “spark” - missing for so long - is back. Equally importantly, he’s made some good friends and actually has a thriving social life. He’s only taking 12 units/semester and this is fine with us, because the extra time is giving him the opportunity to develop his social skills. His confidence has improved astronomically.
Dropping out of his “perfect fit” school turned out to be one of his best decisions.
I didn’t post for a very long time when all this first happened, but I’m ready to tell this story loud and proud as an encouragement to those of you who may be lurking with struggling kiddos.
Thank you very much for sharing your story @calla1; it is really important for people to remember that there are many different paths and that none of them will matter if your child is not healthy.
Thanks, @GoldenWest . I agree that the health of our children/young adults is what’s most important.
I also want to say, my attitude about community colleges has changed dramatically. I’m embarrassed to admit that I’ve really been a snob. I never EVER would have said it out loud of course, but I had this vague belief that CC students were… well… maybe cut from not quite as good a cloth. And that they had to settle by going to a lesser school. Definitely beneath my brilliant child. Or so I thought.
I get it now. Community colleges can be fantastic experiences. Great teachers, wonderful extracurricular activities, stimulating interactions with professors, opportunities for independence and self-determination. Many different programs and certifications. And for a fraction of the price! While I think four year colleges are great for those students ready to leave home, I’m 100% sold on CC being the best choice for my son and many others.
It’s not “settling.” It’s merely a different path, and a viable option for high school seniors making school choices.
Such great news! Thank you so much for sharing. I have a child who isn’t in college yet, but has had some struggles in high school so I don’t really know what the best path is for him. Thank you for the reminder to keep the long view in mind.
@calla1 I’m so glad to hear your son is thriving, healthy and happy! In the end, that’s what matters.
@calla1, I appreciate your post so much as we have much the same story. Our D had to leave her college after 1 quarter and has slowly made her way back via our local community college. Like you, I was also a closet snob about them but my estimation has risen substantially. It’s been a perfect fit for our D and I’m so impressed with both her education and the caring, involved professors who have gone out of their way to make her feel valued. I strongly recommend it as a alternate path!
DS’12 is back - love having him around. Of course, he is out the door pretty quickly to hang out with his H.S. buddies. He is also picking up shifts at his local restaurant job. Anybody else have a dog who is thrilled to have a college kid back home? – fun to watch.
@calla1 I have totally changed my stance on comm college as well. I finally got my own chance to attend college and am graduating next semester Yey! The"kids" there are really great and smart too. Some just don’t want to dorm and most if them work as well. The teachers are superb and really want to help the students succeed.
I am making sure my next three kids understand the value comm college can give, especially my last child who wants to go for digital illustration. The comm has a great two year program which will in my opinion help her decide if she really wants to continue on in a four year for that major.
Also…a lot of the teachers at our comm college also teach the same classes at the universities in the area for much more tuition!
My S14 is traveling in Japan now with my husband. Too bad he did poorly in his second semester of Japanese! (Not to worry, he did very well in all his other classes for his major). When he gets back we will have some whirlwind job-hunting and then he plans to go visit his girlfriend in another state and head with her back to school. He’s planning that trip so I don’t know the details yet (if there are any) or how much time we have with him. They grow up so fast!
Wishing a Merry Christmas to those who observe and happy and festive holiday season and Happy New Year to everyone. For those of you whose kids are home enjoy the season with them!
Son '14 left early this morning to return to school. He took his dad along for company, as well as someone to spell him on the 11-hour drive. While we were thrilled to have him and his older brother (Class of 2009) home for the holidays, we know he really cannot wait to return to school, his girlfriend and lots of friends. His semester starts in a week, just before his 19th birthday.
Dropping the older son off at the airport later today – he has tickets to the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. Boy, will this house be quiet for a few days!
D is heading back today. The actual air temp as of this moment is -7 and the windchill is -24. Hope that poor little tinfoil car she drives stays warm!
The best thing about this break is that she secured a summer internship. She gets an hourly wage plus a housing stipend (or corporate housing). The best part for me is that the job is within commuting distance, so she’ll be home one more summer.
Dropped DS off at the airport a few hours ago. He had a nice break at home hanging out with family and seeing old friends. I love how his high school group has stuck together even though they are all so far-flung. He also made some extra cash refereeing youth basketball games. The league is nice in that it reserves all of its referee slots over break for college students so they can make extra money. The company where he had his summer internship also called him up and asked him to work last week so that was an unexpected bonus.
Only four more weeks until I see him again when I head to Cleveland for Mom’s weekend at his fraternity. That was a lot of fun last year so I am really looking forward to it again. Since many of the boys play the same sport I’ve gotten to know them and their parents over the last two seasons and it’s always a fun time when we get together. There’s always a party on Saturday night and we moms got raucous enough last year that neighbors complained about the noise, ha ha. And at one point a group of girls wandered into the house thinking it was a regular party and looked quite puzzled at the site of all these middle-aged women dancing with the fraternity guys!
DS also flew back to school today. Over the holiday, he got a verbal invitation for a summer internship provided that he fills out the application. Like @ordinarylives, I am happy that DS will be home this summer!
I was finally able to convince DS to invest his last summer earning into a Roth IRA account. He is not really happy about doing it since he just can’t see that he will ever be 59.5 year old :). He reluctantly agreed only after I said that I will match it. I think I will need to get this done on Monday before he changes his mind.
Sounds as if everyone had a wonderful break with their kids! Congrats on the summer internships!
Heard from our son yesterday. He asked us to order a second calculator for him – the bookstore has it. It is designed for finance classes, which is one of his majors. He says that he liked his classes and professors in the first meeting. Was overjoyed that he got the same professor for discrete math that he had for Calculus III – she is a lovely lady who really seems to care about her students. His finance class is filled with athletes, he said.
Meanwhile, he is in search of an internship for the summer. Fortunately, there is a career fair coming up in a few weeks. He plans to spend the morning there. He originally landed a tutoring position this summer on campus, but there was a mix up in some things, and now, he is without employment. He is hoping (so are we) to land a retail job at a local mall. That would give him spending money as well as cash handling experience, which a lot of firms seek in their interns.
DS flew back Wednesday and went out to dinner with a couple of his buddies . . . didn’t miss a beat.
DD left two weeks ago, three weeks before classes start. Her advisor invited her to do research in his lab, which entitled her to stay in campus housing. Plus she is putting in many hours at her work-study job at the campus post office. I thought she’d be bored but she has enough friends around campus to keep busy when she’s not working.