As some may remember, this is not what I imagined at the beginning of this process. So, in celebration of my son’s choice, which I know is his to make and a wonderful school, my avatar is now changed. Still waiting on one more school, but I think we are in the disembarking area on the SS Indecision. Happy Easter to all who are celebrating.
Congrats to your son @CAMidwestMom
There is nothing wrong with being proud of your children’s accomplishments. I think most of the parents in here post to share their joy as well as commiserate with others in the same situation. I don’t believe the good news is posted with the intention of showing off. My kids are not super high achievers, but I’m proud of them and I am not offended by posts of parents of kids who are offered admission and scholarships to top schools.
So I’m a day and a half behind that had to read 150+ messages. So let me say that unlike @EastGrad I skimmed most of the messages but I did see @sseamom’s list of pros and cons for making a decision. I will definitely be using some of those questions with my D16 to figure out which college to chose from. But for those who got acceptances, of course I’m saying congratulations and great job! For those who didn’t get in, hugs to you and your DC.
In terms of the avatar, I wouldn’t even know what to chose even if I wanted to do it because literally I do not know anymore. Hence the list from @sseamom being so handy.
And for those who celebrate… Happy Easter!
@CAMidwestMom Congrats ! ! ! Pretty colors 
@CAMidwestMom - Congratulations! Must be nice to step off the ship and be on solid ground, too. 
It is a wonderful school, and even more so if it’s the wonderful place for your S.
Woo hoo! Promoted to senior member!!!
@carolinamom2boys You hit that spot on. @petrichor11 You get to be double as “cheesy” if you want since you have twins! But seriously though best of luck to your S. @oneundecided Graciousness to others needs to be displayed even if someone gets in and you didn’t. There are fellow classmates of mine that have been very good about this and others not so much… I think some of that behavior comes from what is modeled at home. You can most definitely be very proud and still very supportive
@LKnomad - Congratulations! CC should send out keychains, or at least have that confetti stuff that some schools use on their “accepted” pages.
@2manybooks Agree. I think I already mentioned this a couple of days ago. In his recent trip to Boston/MIT, S called me to ask me whether it would be in poor taste for him to wear an MIT hoodie at his HS.
All the Seniors at his school are wearing all kinds of hoodies, and S, afraid of hurting people’s feelings, was been left out of the party 
That’s so no fair. He has a much right to be happy and display his “school” as much as everyone else. He’s got nothing to be ashamed and/or apologize about. Why is it right for everyone else, but him? The kitty mama in me became a lion mama
Congrats @LKnomad <:-P
I think it’s a really hard balance, how to know what’s ok to share vs. what might make other people feel bad. I’m not sure it’s as simple as not everyone gets a trophy - there’s just so much randomness in admissions, plus so much individual variability in what makes a good match - that these issues can be incredibly fraught even when everyone means the very best for each other.
For my avatar - I want to keep this one since it’s what I always think of when I think of how I am as a CC parent. Also, I didn’t see any new avatar from @Ballerina016 so maybe I missed it?
ETA: My DS won’t wear college gear to school this year, but is fine wearing it around the house and for extracurriculars like Hebrew school.
Congrats @LKnomad!
I love your Avatar @fretfulmother !
@Ballerina016’s very talented DD made her an avatar with some of her current top choices. It was beautiful, aesthetics-wise and content-wise. I personally love it. Reminded me how far she has come from the EA days.
Concerning info sharing, I prefer to leave it up to what makes us happy, because living a life trying to make others happy/avoid making them unhappy is a really hard life to live
Just the other day, DD mentioned whether we would be able to wear college wear during DS’s farewell, family gathering. Mind you, everyone family/parent has done it with every child’s graduation. Why do we have to be the exception? I’m afraid that if I keep up on giving to that mindset, I’ll end up making my child feel as if he did something wrong. I draw the line somewhere.
I had an internship in China during college (And just for reference, I went to an everyone-gets-in state directional. Every school offers exceptional experiences if you hustle for it). While visiting a Buddhist temple, a friend translated an inscription on the wall for me. “You, yourself are the master of your destiny.” I had the slip of paper he wrote that on in my wallet for years. If, for whatever reason, I am miserable and sulky and disenchanted by the college process, that is my decision. If I am happy and excited and grateful, that is my decision. AND, if CC is bumming me out, my most logical decision may be to step away for awhile.
@kittymom1102 - I think I mentioned at some point that my S’ non-uniform clothes consist mainly of soccer jerseys, science museum t-shirts, and college/university swag. This year he’s toned down that swag a LOT, because people were making all sorts of assumptions about its meaning that just didn’t happen before. He had a Cal drawstring bag that he’s had for years (I’m in grad school in Berkeley and picked it up) - that’s now in his dad’s hands in another state. His water bottle and a few notebooks are from the University of Ottawa (where I went to a conference and have friends) - I was there the week school started last fall and picked them up as school supplies, but it’s far enough away he can disclaim it easily.
His laptop pouch is from Santa Clara - a school we both love dearly, and where we have many friends and have spent a lot of time. He just declined admission there about 10 minutes ago. Not unexpected, but still closing a door we’d had idly open for ~7 years or so. I’m personally rooting for the CC kids who’ve posted that they were waitlisted there. It’s a delightful place, and I love the idea of someone making it in who’s had their heart set on being there.
But now that’s another item that’ll be a little awkward.
I hope we have the college figured out by the time his Vice Principal says seniors can forego their uniforms. If not, he’ll just be repping the science museums and soccer teams for a bit.
Gosh Palm, I never got to go to China. ;o)
Students should be proud of their successful admission into colleges and feel free to fly their flag. Even if it’s a household-name top school. That’s not insensitive, even if peers had a failed bid for admission to the same school, imho. But it’s helpful for all to remember that not everyone views top schools at the be-all. All run their own races, along a variety of courses with a variety of desired to finish lines. That understanding balances.
@palm715 I love that ! ! It’s so true.
I don’t understand people living their lives in the context of someone else’s life. I don’t get it!
I like to think of my life in the context of how far I’ve come in my own journey. That makes me pretty happy and proud tbh. If you saw how simple my life is, you will probably laugh. However, you don’t know where I come from and how long my journey has been There’s the catch!
Happy Easter to those who celebrate it! It’s cold and cloudy here in Washington DC but the cherry blossoms are in bloom nevertheless, I would send a picture if I could.
Thank you @Highbury for sharing your experience and good wishes and @piesquared for your Easter basket wishes to all…yay!
I like the new avatars and enjoyed reading the thoughtful reflections posted. I guess we’ll see some changes in the avatars on March 31st…
I think @AsleepAtTheWheel’s intention was a caring one, maybe to prevent the unintended consequence of perhaps some members leaving the forum or not participating. It might have come across a bit different, maybe.
Wishing everybody a lot of fun and hope and excitement as we all go through the last round of this roller coaster together!!! March 31st, May 1st and onward for those with waiting lists. It will all end soon, let’s make the best of it!