I’ll suggest “The Gatekeepers” a book about a year in the life of the admissions staff and some applicants at Wesleyan published in 2002.
Kids tend to believe prep schools and colleges are strict meritocracies. The book shows that the process can be far more arbitrary, even at some of the most highly selective schools.
We had friends whose daughter Brigid was entering kindergarten at, ironically enough, St. Brigids. My wife asked her “Do you know who your teacher will be?” She looked at her like she was addled, and replied, “Whichever teacher takes Brigids!”
Your kid’s will go to “Whichever school takes Brigids.” Or Devontae, Liz, Harry, or Sanjeev.
I really do wish in hindsight that I hadn’t come on here as much as I did during the admission season. Seeing so many “perfect” applicants gave me horrible anxiety.
My afternoon so far: Every ten minutes or so, I run outside, look up through funny glasses, say “that’s so cool”, and come back into my office. Gusdad and Guskid headed for parts south today, so they are in the path of totality.
We are on vacation in a 99% zone…but even that 1% sliver was so bright that, while it was cool, it was not the darkness I think many watchers were expecting.
We were in a 90% zone. It got dimmer and cooler, but not no more so than on a cloudy day. Thankfully, a colleague let me borrow her eclipse glasses - THAT was COOL! My favorite part of the eclipse was sharing glasses with my university colleagues and students. It was a great community event! Seeing the expressions on students’ faces when they put on the glasses and really saw the eclipse was so much fun! (I did have a mom moment or two when I admonished several undergrads about looking at the sun without proper eye protection ; )!
Gone are the days when the villagers would angrily shake their pitchforks at the witch who obscured the sun bringing darkness to the land and threatening the harvest. Eclipse glasses: It’s just no fun nowadays.
Just 24+ hrs till Chemm kid 2.0 heads to a new BS for her and I am a little saddened. Now that I am in my 50s, I feel I finally have some (hard earned) wisdom to impart to my progeny. Like many teens, they on the other hand, are confident that they have everything figured out and I am just 1 step away from clueless. I’m proud that they are strong, self-directed and kind young women who are unlikely to move back into my basement in 10 years, but I sometimes admit I miss the little kids who trusted me to keep the world spinning.
^^^ @chemmchimney you have hit the nail on the head (for me) with your description. This is how I have been feeling but couldn’t express it properly. And I am with @gardenstategal: I am already beyond the 1 step.
^^^^ Aargh! I was trying to not think about how this is the last boarding school drop off day ever. Husband and I almost had collective coronaries when “the baby” informed us the other day that he could just get a ride with his buddy (whose dad has a new monster truck or something to that effect) if we wanted a break from all the annual chaos. Can you imagine?! No way are we all not doing this one last time together! His dad made it very clear that we pay a small fortune for that chaos and we refuse to be denied the experience. I cannot believe this confident, mature guy is the same little boy who quietly cried the whole ride home for years when we’d bring his big bro to boarding school and then college. I’m definitely feeling some serious pride here (as so eloquently summed up by @chemmchimney). I must also confess that I’m definitely feeling some misery… and that my misery is sure appreciative of your company, folks.
I don’t even want to tell you what it is like NOT doing the drop off…because you are headed to college. If your kid was at the right school, the entire family is sad not to be going back.
Having done our last drop off (a few days early for prefect training) of my BS parenting career…I can tell you that a 4th floor room + 0 elevators = 2 tired parents! Life’s been such a whirlwind this summer that I don’t know what to do with my newfound free time! I’m not kidding when I tell you we have zero Labor Day weekend plans — well, besides running some forgotten items down to 7D1 at college one of the days.
I realize that many, many parents/guardians never experience drop off on campus, but NO WAY are you clueless @payn4ward b/c it doesn’t matter when that fall parting happens. It still happens and we all experience the same conflicting, overwhelming emotions at that point. We all want more time, and more is still never enough, whether they are getting on a plane, a train, or simply blowing you off to hit the athletic field as the hockey stick surfaces from the piles of L5/S1 damaging junk moved in. So, hubby and I will not be allowing our confident kid, or anyone’s monster truck, to cause any deviation from the annual masochistic magic that we’ve come to enjoy, and detest, for so many years.
Indeed, @london203, am definitely NOT ready, willing or able to fathom that point in time yet.
I thought I was the only one relegated by my children into the Clueless Club. Glad I’m not alone. Howdy neighbors! Oh, and am I not supposed to ask, but gone for just a short while bringing my 2 students to college, and I see our friend Nico in jail. How did that happen?
I asked about that too, @preppedparent, but no answer thus far from @nico.campbell so I just hope that he is released soon and can tell us all, and of course get himself to Wallingford on time.
@SevenDad I feel your pain! Swimkid is on the third floor this year. After two climbs, I offered to unpack his clothes and let father and son finish unloading ; )
@NCSwimmom: After schlepping a rug up solo (I thought it would be less cumbersome than a two-person carry) on the second car-to-room run, I was pretty much in “I’ll stay up here and ‘move furniture around’/take a nap on this mattress” mode. 7D1s room at college is on the 5th floor this year, and I made a single trip up the stairs with an empty suitcase (don’t ask) because I didn’t want to wait for the elevator, which had a line of people with carts waiting for it…that was enough for me. Getting old!
We leave after work today to begin the annual 600 mile trek to take boy back to school. After the 3rd floor room and no air or elevator last year, we got smart and are bringing a cousin (muscle) along for the ride. (He will be interviewing on campus later this fall, so he wants to check the place out, too.) The panic attack starts trying to grab me starting about this time yesterday, but I know everything will be ok, and I try my hardest to fight it off. Plus, I keep in mind that I get my nice, empty, house that stays clean and the food doesn’t disappear as quickly, and two loads of laundry a week instead of many, and lower grocery bills…
