<p>Your D must be on cloud 9, jeffandann. I laughed out loud when I read that list. I’m starting a new thread because of it!!!</p>
<p>Jeff…that’s a LOT of positive news! Hope there is lots more to come.</p>
<p>So happy to hear Jeffandann that your D is receiving some encouraging news. It makes all the work worthwhile. My D received a really great email from a Chicago walk-in college saying that she’s one of a few they are seriously considering. She applied while we were in Chicago, after having a great experience at the audition for a school she had not considered before. They worked with her really well, and she thought “I’d like to work with these people.” So we will see what happens. Fingers crossed, and whatever else works…</p>
<p>I have a son who has wanted to do this since age 4… acting since age 6. I would love to chat as he finishes his junior year in California high school… we have lots of friends who have been on this journey ahead of us…</p>
<p>Hey everyone – just throwing some positive vibes out there for everyone. Hoping this coming week brings NOTHING BUT GOOD NEWS. :)</p>
<p>I would like to add my best wishes, too. I feel like we are a family and really love hearing your successes!</p>
<p>mcpcwhite and theatremomma - this made me smile. I don’t think our kids know how hard this is on us - it’s hard enough on them. Parents here on cc are the best.</p>
<p>I agree with the previous posters. Even though my D is tech, I still come over here and read. My D can’t seem to understand that I feel just as much (and maybe more) stress over these decisions as she is! It’s gotten to the point now where she says she is too busy to worry about it so she’ll leave that up to me. :)</p>
<p>Sending out tons of best wishes and pixie dust that the news will be good for all in the next few weeks!</p>
<p>Diddo mpcpwhite and theatremomma. I really needed that this morning. I’m adding my best wishes to you all as well.</p>
<p>Reading through this thread has reminded me again what a special community CC is. I took most of this year off CC for a variety of reasons, but I really missed it. </p>
<p>I’ve been thinking of all of your parents of Seniors who are finishing up the roller coaster ride now and wanting to be a voice that encourages you that it’s AWESOME on the other side when you get to watch your kids pursue their passions and be happier than they ever thought they ever could be (albeit from a great distance in my case). </p>
<p>I wondered when we were in the midst of all the anguish this time last year if it would all be worth it, and I can emphatically answer that now with a resounding YES!</p>
<p>Tracyvp thank you so much. I wonder all the time if this is some sort of self contained frenzy that is anticlimactic on the other side. It helps to hear from parents who have been there and still feel motivated and excited by the journey. I too am nervous about the distance next year, so your thoughts on how to best navigate that challenge (get them home, go see them, how to survive the divide) is right on the heels of the question of where will/should she go.</p>
<p>On a different note, this coming weekend will be the last ever show choir competition for my D. She’s been involved in show choir for three years (their HS show choir is ranked 4th in the US right now) and it will be difficult to watch her last performance, especially since she opens their set with a solo performance. Bound to have some tears flowing this weekend - just another sign my little girl is moving on to college soon!</p>
<p>Luvmt-- D wanted to stay as close to home as possible-- she’s always been a really close-to-home kid. She ended up about 4 hours away by car, so not too bad. We made a plan that I would visit after 2 weeks, and if necessary I’d visit every 2 weeks. 10 days in, she called and said it wouldn’t be a good time for me to visit… ha! In fact, I’ve only visited once and she has only come home for Thanksgiving and winter break. Now she says it wouldn’t have mattered if she’d gone far. She’s so busy and involved-- we talk on the phone and text a lot, and distance is meaningless!</p>
<p>But she spent the summer in high anxiety, and I was glad we had a plan in place. I think many, maybe most BFA students have a hard time getting away from school once life and constant rehearsals have begun. So going to her might be the best solution.</p>
<p>Yes, senior year marks the end of many things, but the beginning of others. What TracyVP said is the truth…it is so wonderful to have gone through that very stressful time last year when I didn’t think I’d survive another campus, to this fabulous place on the other side! Eqyally as wonderful are all the parents met along the way that I call friends! Some in the real world and some here in the CC world. TracyVP, I adore you for “introducing” us and for the continued updates and support.</p>
<p>For those of you awaiting decisions for your S or D, I hope you get the news you are waiting for!</p>
<p>Gwen thank you! I imagine the same will happen here. I’m more worried about my heart than hers…she tends to be “all in” once she is into something. However her flying home is way cheaper than all of us flying to her:) Is it hard to plan around rehearsals? Do things change so last minute that plane reservations will be hard?</p>
<p>Tracyvp, thank you for your words of encouragement. So nice to hear from someone on the other side and that everything does work out in the end.</p>
<p>My daughter has officially accepted an offer from her top choice program and I’m happy to say I am also officially off that roller coaster ride. That had to be one of the most painful processes I have ever gone through. We are so excited for her, however, we live in Hawaii and we knew wherever she went would be far, far away. I’m now faced with the reality that we will rarely see her. No quick trios home for her. Only the major breaks and that’s only if she isn’t involved with something that keeps her there. So I now love to hear stories of how parents have survived large separations from their kids. Please chime I if you’ve dealt with this. It also helps to hear how busy they are so there really isn’t time for visits home even if they’re closer. I just keep telling myself that. </p>
<p>Would also like to get in contact with other parents of my D’s school. Might help me to stay in contact with someone who is closer. Any thoughts on how to find other parents of same school? </p>
<p>Love hearing about all the success stories so keep em coming. Aloha!</p>
<p>Hawaii, what school will your D be attending?</p>
<p>^^hawaiimtmom, My D’s college is 2500 miles away and it IS hard not seeing her, but what makes it easier is knowing she is pursuing her passions. She came home for 3 weeks at Christmas, but that will be it until May. I will visit twice next month for the musical and for showcase. </p>
<p>Our D ended up volunteering for many things and between those things and auditions for summer work, every holiday found her with other students in another state that wasn’t home. Facetime and Skype has been invaluable and well, we write good old-fashioned letters too. Sometimes you actually hear more about their lives being away from them, so don’t despair.</p>
<p>I have enjoyed sending special packages and treats to my D and to the friends she has met, I probably wouldn’t have done it so much had I been able to see her more. The kids loved the chocolate dipped strawberries and I even got a Facebook thank you on my wall! The other big hit was the 48 pack of Popcornopolis I sent before Thanksgiving. I sent a box with every kind of Girl Scout cookies and a bouquet of silk daisies to Spring-up the room. Doing these well-timed little things makes me feel closer to my D even when I’m not and it lets her know she is never far from my mind or heart.</p>
<p>LuvMTs-- I think it depends on the school, but I’m sure you’ll be able to work it out. All these schools have kids coming from all over the country so they’re used to kids having to make flight reservations etc. (Wait until she gets there to make plans though! The first thing I found out was that D was going to be totally unavailable during Parents weekend so it would be a waste of time for me to go.) And of course she will have to call and text with all the news…I still feel so close to my D and often so moved and proud of all she’s learning and doing.</p>
<p>LuvMTs and everyone else - DO NOT book Thanksgiving flights until your kid asks his/her prof. if there will be class on Wednesday!!! Some profs cancel, some don’t. My daughter’s theatre prof. always has class on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and expects everyone to be there - and they are. There’s nothing wrong with students who have to book flights to ask the first week of classes as to whether or not there will be classes that day, it happens every year.</p>
<p>Oh, and girls never leave, not with cell phones and texting and all the other instantaneous means of communication. The most important thing you need to remember that they call you to vent and then go on their merry way, leaving you stressed and wondering if they’re miserable. They are not miserable, just need a friendly voice to vent to. You can’t make lifelong friends in two weeks or even two months, so you’re their safest outlet.</p>
<p>Enjoy the journey!</p>