<p>Now that we've survived the application process, and our children have been evaluated based on GPA's, test scores, talents and EC's isn't it time to realize that our children are complex three dimensional people with so much going for them that the adcoms will never know about???? I've been guilty of harrassing my son to complete essays, portfolios and applications and I recently had several experiences that allowed me to tell him how proud I am of him.</p>
<p>Come on folks - let's brag</p>
<p>My son works at a movie theater that was opened on Christmas. He'd put in for Christmas off over two months ago. This was great since I was having about 30 guests. He called me from work two days before Christmas asking if I would be upset if he worked on CHrismas. He then explained that there was a girl scheduled for Christmas from 12-5 who was crying hysterically. (not a friend or anything) Our children learn compassion from us... I told him it was OK because he'd be here in the morning for his younger brothers, and back in time for most of dinner. </p>
<p>While he was working, his younger cousins found out that he gets "free movies" for guests. My younger kids and younger neices and nephews asked if they could go to the movies late on CHristmas after dinner, dessert etc. All us old folks decided that since Christmas is for kids, if that's what they wanted, maybe my older son could drop them off later. AT about 8:00 my son was getting ready to drive 5 kids ages 10-13 to the movies and I was giving them the rules about staying together etc. My older son looked at me and asked "Did you think I was just going to leave them there?? I'll stay with them." So he watched a movie he'd already seen. </p>
<p>One last thing. I just asked my son to fill out some scholarships based on community service. His response "I did those things because I wanted to, not to get money." Of course I will have to sway him on this one.</p>
<p>Basically, what I want everyone to do is show us the things adcoms don't see. We all have great kids who are more than the sum of their scores. Now is the time for us to really tell them how great and compassionate they are.</p>
<p>I will add that my son, who used to be the world's worst procrastinator, has just finished the last of his 12 graduate school applications, all of which were completed on time, and that my daughter finished her first college semester with a GPA slightly above 4.0 (her college gives out A pluses), despite an illness in mid-semester that really drained her for more than two weeks. They're turning out to be quite responsible young people, despite my evil influence.</p>
<p>My daughter is by far the better student of the two, but I'm proud of both of them.</p>
<p>Around the time of his graduation from high school, the director of development at my son's school mentioned to my wife and I that our son had committed to making a donation to the school so that they could install a wireless network in one of the buildings. He said they were planning to install a plaque on the wall noting his contribution. My first reaction was that he shouldn't be doing that, what with upcoming college expenses. My second reaction was that he should at least have discussed it with his parents first. But my long-term reaction is one of great pride that he saw fit to use his hard-earned money to help his school. When we asked him how much he had donated, he said "well, they want a thousand for it, but I know it can be done for much less..so I'm negotiating with them." It ended up costing several hundred dollars.</p>
<p>My son wasn't as difficult as yours :-) I have saved all the notes from preschool "___ won't be quiet/sit still/listen....."
They made me get him 'analyzed' for ADD/ADHD and were shocked when his IQ came back at over 140 (for a 4 year old)</p>
<p>he got A's an B's in HS without much effort (he watched his porn at home on the internet).</p>
<p>He just finished his first semester at NYU. He's been home for 4 days and I feel like he's a way more mature person than the 17 yo that left for college in August. </p>
<p>I couldn't be more proud. He wants to apply to the international relations scholars program in his sophmore year. And this was always the math kid. I asked him his reasoning for the shift. He replied "world peace is possible if you know how to do it, I intend to be that person".</p>
<p>My kid managed to get arrested for possession of a fake ID while someone else was using it! </p>
<p>My other kid (the one heading for seminary) learned well from her competitive runner parents and got in the face of the official at the local 5K charity walk and insisted (correctly) that the course was short! No one else cared in the slightest.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Asking CCers to brag on their kids is like asking fish to swim...
[/quote]
I hope I remember that line the next time we start taking nominations for CC's Annual Awards for excellence in posting. </p>
<p>And my son was named "Firefighter of the Year" by his volunteer Fire Department when he had just turned 18 -- youngest winner ever, and the voters were a bunch of much older men and women. </p>
<p>And yet he still can't pick up his clothes.</p>
<p>Alrighty. So, my son's college has a tradition of people who can't afford food or aren't on the meal plan eating the leftovers from others. There's a part of the dining hall where you put things you don't want, and these other students (called scroungers) pick over that. It's a tradition going back at least 50 years. Anyway, on another board a student commented and asked me if I was Son's Name's Mom, and I said yes, and the student says, "Oh, he's so great! He buys plates of chicken fingers and fries for the scroungers when there isn't much for us!" </p>
<p>When we visited, son had mentioned he was "over" for the year so far on his meal plan, so we paid for our food instead of having him do it on his meal plan card. I thought it was because he was eating too much, but evidently it's because he's been looking out for other students.</p>
<p>My younger D has a kid in her year who has a severe case of Tourette's. He's been teased throughout the years by everyone. My D noticed that this kid wasn't finding a lunch table last year. He came wandering over to hers, which was full of a bunch of popular kids. He sat down, and they scattered to other tables, leaving my D and the boy alone. She said "wait here" and went from table to table, shaming these other kids into coming back. She was able to fill her table, and they sat together for the rest of the year. People can be so cruel, can't they?</p>
<p>TrinSF- That sounds so..Dickensian or something...I'm imagining these waifs in rags attacking food scraps. On the other hand...what school is it? My kid is pretty small - I think she could get through four years just scrounging!</p>
<p>Reed. ;) It turned my daughter off when she was looking at schools 5 years ago. I suppose it's not so bad though, as long as the first eaters don't drool on the food they don't eat....</p>