<p>JeepMom, thanks again for your encouragement and support - I do appreciate it.</p>
<p>Sorry wouldbemd - it WAS tongue in cheek! VAmom13, I see that this is your FIRST post. I have been on the new board since Aug. 2004 and the old one for far longer. We've had a number of humorous threads on "bragging rights" and people who jump into a conversation on another subject to do so. We have all come to different, respectful conclusions as to a variety of subjects, from bragging anonymously to how we feel about being accosted in public by proud parents who say (essentially), "Well, enough from me - I've been bragging for a half hour! Tell me - what do YOU think of my child's achievements?!" </p>
<p>So lighten up - and once again: ;) ;) ;)</p>
<p>PS - VAmom 13, I am the one who started the well known "Sandwich Generation" thread about the pain and sorrows of caring for a dying parent. I think people know me well enough here to not call me to task as unthinkingly as a newbie poster would.</p>
<p>With my daughter we didn't do the first college visit until Presidents day weekend of her Junior year. That's when we found out about what stats colleges were looking for and that they weighed grades differently then her hs, about merit aid, etc, etc. Surprise!</p>
<p>With my son (3 years later) I had read 1/2 a dozen admissions book and owned two of the fat ones. We started doing college visits at the beginning of his junior year and he's now seen 7 colleges at a pretty leisurely pace and expects to see 3 more before senior year in the fall. He's much more educated about the process and actually less stressed then my daughter because he doesn't have to quick look at all the colleges that look good before the school year ends in the Spring. Without the college visits in the fall, he can concentrate on his applications and try to get them all in before December. (That's my hope, anyway!)</p>
<p>With my next child, I'll remember to allow for his maturation during the application process. And I'll remember that his internal development is like his physical growth: slow start, nothing noticeable for a while, then a huge leap where things don't fit anymore.</p>
<p>LOL!</p>
<p>I think it's a little less awkward with girls.</p>