<p>Well, I guess I don't really understand what you are getting at, because if your daughter can word process the essay, I don't know why a typewriter would be needed. I do recall my son doing some cut & paste jobs back when he applied - printing out his essay in right size to fit within the appropriate space on the form, then cutting it out, pasting to the form, then xeroxing for a clean copy. (I don't remember if it was a college app or something else - but the idea is the same). </p>
<p>When you say that you can teach your kid about balancing a checkbook, I hope you see that as a different thing than doing the checkbook balancing for her every month -- because if you go the latter result, the kid will never learn. </p>
<p>I do plenty as far as teamwork with my kids. I do web design, and my son recently asked for my help in setting up an online ad for his work, with nice graphics & colors to make it stand out. I enjoyed doing that and was delighted that he asked for my help. (He works for a nonprofit, so I didn't mind donating my "professional" time to their cause, either). But I'm not a typist or a file clerk. I really do see my own time as too valuable to be spent on mere clerical duties - or what is essentially busy work (typing an essay that doesn't need to be typed because it is already in the word processor and could be submitted online). I mean, when it comes down to it, I don't really see a difference between the unnecessary typing and the unnecessary application fee - if the kid wants to do the extra work because it is meaningful to her, then by all means, let her do it. But I guess I really don't see the difference between the kid who has the nice, individually typed applications that were done by a parent and the 5th grader whose science fair project looks so great because mommy did the lettering and daddy connected all the pieces. </p>
<p>I'm doing a lot to help with the college application process - lots of online research into colleges, for example. I've set up a great spreadsheet to track college apps, with direct links to the college web sites. I send her a lot of email with links to interesting information, and I've researched which colleges have strong programs in her areas of interest. But she needs to do the application part herself - what goes on to paper and is mailed to the colleges needs to be her own work. I honestly wouldn't feel comfortable if any part of the application was done by me - to me it would seem like cheating.</p>