Reuter's News Article on Home-Schooling

[Drosselmeier]

<p>nan:</p>

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Don’t second guess things at this point, especially ED. ED is not for everybody. A lot of factors have to come together for it to be the right choice. It’s nice to get the stress out of the way sooner, but there are advantages to applying RD.

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<p>It seems much more competitive than ED. That is what worries me. My daughter has some very nice stats – at least we THINK so. But yikes! There are a lot of cancer curers going for the schools she wants to get into. Its crazy. It sure would be nice to have an ED situation in the pocket. But, I am trying to take advantage of all of that Lamaze training I endured with my wife. It doesn’t seem to be helping in the least. But it gives me something to do. :)</p>

<p>On one happy note we just found out that my son is now a finalist for a really competitive summer program. That is pretty nice, and will keep me occupied for a bit. But not nearly long enough.</p>

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As far as cutting strings goes, my daughter and I were fortunate enough to have observed several other young people leaving home over the last few years. We noticed they all had one thing in common - they all got into horrible blowups and power struggles with their parents. It seemed as if engaging in outright war was the only way these families could find to deal with the upcoming changes. They didn’t know how to let go constructively, so used major conflict to redefine their roles. Some previously sane people participated in dangerous behavior for no apparent reason but to cut those strings. My daughter and I talked about it and decided we’d do whatever it took to make the transition in a healthy way, without any of us going nuts.

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<p>I’ve seen this too. I’m not one to get into a big argument about anything. Usually, if I don’t get my way, I just sulk until I feel better. My daughter and I did something like you, but a little different. When she sat me down, we basically decided to transition in a healthy way, with the idea that I’d still go nuts.</p>

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That will only work if you give yourself some credit, and trust what you’ve done with her. It’s okay to let her know you’re having a hard time letting go, but at the same time you have to let her know you’re happy with who she is.

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<p>This was really great advice. I don’t think I had done this so that it was really clear to my daughter. So I did it this weekend and it seems to have made a world of difference. It turns out that she was also a little offended by something I said about one of her essays! She wrote an essay that was really nice, but philosophical. Right afterward, I was browsing the web and came across an expert who said “DON’T SEND IN PHILOSOPHICAL ESSAYS!!!” Man! I flipped, and “gently” suggested she send in something else. I think I remember her bristling against that, but I didn’t think it was any big deal. She went ahead and sent in the philosophical essay anyway! Do you have any idea how awful it feels to read an expert telling your kid not to do what she seems to be doing? It is crazy. I was just trying to help. Well. We got it patched. I just told her that no matter what happens, I agree with how she handled it all no matter what that expert said.</p>

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Go to lunch or something - just the two of you. Make an effort to spend some good time together. At the same time, let her make her own decisions about what she does with the rest of her time and respect her for it. And while you’re at it, respect yourself

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<p>I’ll do this too. We’ve been so wound up through all this, we’ve not had a chance to enjoy each other like we used to. It just kills me that she will (hopefully) be leaving soon. Gotta make these last few months count.</p>

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As a parent, you do everything you can to provide an environment where your child will develop what you didn’t have. No matter how much you invest in that effort, it’s still shocking when it works. You’ve allowed her to achieve a beautiful calm confidence. You could have messed that up for her, but you didn’t. And the dangling arms football hold is your treasure to keep.

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<p>You know, I never really got it how when my grandparents went on and on about memories they’d get so much joy. I got it now.</p>