D24 submitted two more applications to the Claremonts last night. (Side note: Scripps seems like an underrated gem.) We’ve got 2 more applications due next week. I had hoped that we’d finish with a healthy sprint; but instead she’s crossing the finish line with more of an unenthusiastic hobble. She’s tired; I’m tired. I’m thinking I’ll just have S28 enroll in the military. 
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Scripps is incredibly underrated! I actually think all the Claremont Colleges are a hidden gem. S24 sent an app that way also.
We have two more left due next Monday and then…we wait. I thought I would be over it, but I’m also a little sad it’s winding down. S24, who towers over me, shaves, with his manly voice holds my hand before every single submit.
The last time he reached for my hand this much was when he was 5 years old. 
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School started for S24 yesterday after the break and his final grades for the sem are out and he is happy with the Grades. After sharing the grades he then begins a discussion on how this Sem he is going taking it easy. We had a strict rule of no watching tv and no video games on weekdays from his 1st grade and he wants us to remove the rule now becauses application season is done and he has more time.
We finally said yes he can start watching/Playing for 1 hour each week day. He just turned 18 and starts using the I am an adult now card 
I am expecting more of this type of discussions in the upcoming months.
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I‘ve got my eye on Scripps for D27 who has expressed an interest in women‘s colleges (although her preferences could, of course, change, and I don’t know yet if she‘ll be academically qualified). S24 toured, and applied to, Pomona. We walked across the Scripps campus on that visit, and it was stunning.
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Many of the historically women’s colleges are very special. Not for everyone of course, but my D24 ultimately ended up gravitating towards women’s colleges. Scripps would have been on her list but she wanted east coast. Definitely a wonderful school, and we are big fans of consortiums too.
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We had a similar discussion here, except it was “now that apps are done can I spend every spare moment of my life working and hanging out with friends?”
For C24, the first semester isn’t over for another week, but they’re exempt from exams and I don’t expect their grades to fall below their current As within the next week. I’m giving them lots and lots of leeway to have fun until second semester starts, at least.
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Better to let him get a handle on controlling that for himself now because next year he’ll be totally free to do as much tv watching and video gaming as he wants with no parental supervision. He needs to learn to self regulate. That isn’t meant to be a criticism, by the way, as I had many of the same rules when my kiddos were younger - as they got closer to college I loosened up when I realized they needed to be able to manage that for themselves when I wasn’t around to be “bad cop” anymore.
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DS2022 and I were practically attached at the hips during the whole ACT-prep to college-application process. So after he finished his college applications, did a few scholarship applications, finished 1st semester strong, he made the split from me. From that phase until he left for college, it was almost a 180degree transition, something that was bit traumatizing for this mom.
He never had this much FREEDOM (in terms of time, commitment, expectations, mental demands, etc). It was always I need to do this assignment, or need to watch this athletic video the coach sent, or run to the next thing.
As long as his grades didn’t drop to Cs, he did the absolute bare minimum and was “just be”. He slept, he hung out with friends, he played with the dog.
He didn’t check in with Mom (or anyone else).
He deserved it.
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I agree with you that he should be able to manage himself. DH had a tough time letting go and so this was compromise for now. I am sure we will have many more of such topics and I will talk to DH soon so we are on same page and we give him more control over his choices.
It not easy letting go but we have to do it as its all part of them growing up.
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Thanks for sharing your experience. The sudden change is harder on the parents but it’s a good prep for when they go to college.
I will have to keep reminding myself and DH that we need to let him make his own choices.
My DH is the same. It’s often tough for them to let go!
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How would you even monitor what he does in his room unless you are standing over him all night?
But to be fair, I have school log-in for both my kids (even the college one), so I am checking assignments and grades constantly. That is my control freak - and I did announce today that I thought I would loosen up last semester and let S24 navigate solo.
However, he does do video games or whatever else he does for hours every day.
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I don’t know about RadM, but in our house there are no electronics in bedrooms (kids or adults). 
My kids do their homework in their rooms. So you don’t keep a phone by your bed at night? What if there is an emergency? Of course, I’m constantly worried about my student at college but I turn it off at night - as a friend said, there is nothing we can do at 4 a.m.
There aren’t any in ours either. We all plug our phones in at 10pm on weekdays.
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Our house does have a bit of a strange set up. Many tiny rooms, and some of them are pass through. So bedrooms are just beds and clothes. We have 3 different “office” areas & 2 family rooms.
I guess I wasn’t 100% accurate about the electronics. Half of the family (2/4) currently charge phones downstairs at the charging station overnight. I charge my phone by my bed at night & my quadriplegic son keeps his iPad next to his bed overnight so he can have Siri call me if he needs something in the night. But it is mostly no electronics.
However, now that I think about it, when my S23 was home over the Christmas break he kept his phone & laptop with him in his room.
The electronics isn’t a big deal, it has just always been our policy—no TVs, computers, or game systems in the bedrooms—since the kids were younger and it works well for us adults too, so we haven’t adjusted it. My older kids didn’t have phone until about 18 months ago, so they were a late addition to system.
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This was us too, but then covid came and everyone was on zoom at the same time in our small house. I didn’t manage to stuff the cat back in the bag afterwords 
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The flu has hit our house hard. We all went to urgent care yesterday. We all tested positive for influenza. And we are all taking Tamiflu now. And yeah, we all got flu shots this year! D24 sounds worse than yesterday, though…her cough has me concerned, so I’m taking her back to urgent care tomorrow to ask for a chest x-ray.
Both of my kids are definitely missing all of this week of school. I’m grateful right now that there aren’t any college apps due.
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Yuck, I’m sorry!
I think a lot of TV use is becoming obsolete. My boys never watch TV nor do they do social media - but they seem to do a lot with YouTube. It drives my DH bonkers that I watch all my “programs” on my computer vs. turning on the TV. Of course, as I type, he’s in the basement with the giant screen TV on.
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