Congratulations on surviving so far. Just wanted to share something we did as a family 7 years ago post Ivy Night. Not surprisingly it came flooding back last night.
As a family we were collectively exhausted, excited in some cases and disappointed in others, sad at now being confronted with the reality that my son would soon be leaving home and a bit intimidated by the reality he would soon have to decide on a school.
My wife without a word pulled out all of our books of family photos which struck me as odd. At her prompting however we started going through them reminiscing and laughing. We started with baby shots all the way up until the most recent athletic and prom photos. Pretty quickly her wisdom became apparent.
We were reminded that we would always be a family regardless of whether or not we shared a roof. Our shared memories also highlighted how our lives are a continuum and the next phase was inevitable, natural and should be embraced.
Through this discussion my son became acutely reminded of what was import to him and his self confidence to make decisions was reinforced. As you have all experienced, these kids take a beating senior year and they can loose themselves a bit. The next morning it felt like he had reset and no longer cared about so much nonsense that had accumulated over the prior few months.
Many of our future discussions reverted to that evening and what had made him happy and engaged previously. We revisited a few schools but going forward he seemed to have a real sense of what would make him happy and thankfully it worked out.
Sorry to be self indulgent by sharing but this evening of reflection remains a fond memory and hopefully might help some of you as you enter this next period.
All the best!