<p>This is probably the saddest commentary of my life thus far, but when I woke up this morning my first thought was: SevenDad had a point about gaming on the laptop thread. I think I'm on CC too much.....</p>
<p>Yesterday, at around three in the morning, I woke up to the smell of a fire in the fireplace (at least that's what I hoped it was) and coffee brewing. After I did a double take at the clock, I went downstairs to investigate. There they were.... headsets on in front of the TV playing XBOX with a fire blazing and coffee brewing. And they had beards, too. Not only that- they were playing online with friends (they had just seen less than 48hrs ago) from school! Well, they eventually went to bed (at 8AM) and were kind enough to grace us with their presence at dinner. Lucky us! </p>
<p>Today they'll be blowing leaves and chopping wood. Hopefully they'll go for a run, too!! :)</p>
<p>So, I was just wondering how everyone's break is going? It's nice to have them home..... when they're awake! </p>
<p>We purposely under scheduled obligations this week. As a result, we are being free spirits…friends have popped in to see her, and there has been no rushing around or stress due to having plans be interrupted.</p>
<p>She is loving the concept of sleeping in, watching TV when and if she wants, and lazing around with multiple dogs/cats in the bed. For me, it is very nice to feel a young life in the house again. In fact, she has already said she loves it here and doesn’t want to go back. I know that’s a lie – she LOVES school. But, it is nice to hear it nonetheless!</p>
<p>In fact, this might be another hidden joy of parenting a boarding school kid: there have been rare times in the past where there weren’t 60 million obligations at once to take care of, and it is nice to have the freedom to enjoy being together and having holidays feel less rushed. Everyone is just hanging out.</p>
<p>So – a long winded way of saying: so far, so good! </p>
<p>Thinking about Exie’s predicament last year. DC is on a school sponsored international trip this vacation. It’s an excellent opportunity in a place he’d otherwise never get to, and the few pix I’ve seen from the trip blog already make me SO envious not to be there. It is a hard, hard thing not to have your child home for the holidays, so treasure the time, people.</p>
<p>For those who’ve completed a term, congratulations! For those who still have semester exams and all the final projects due upon your return, best of luck! I was in the latter situation and remember Thanksgivings my junior and senior year as rough because there was so much to get done.</p>
<p>Son arrived Friday night, first stop after picking him up at the airport- McDonald’s for a Big Mac. He has a list of all the foods he is missing and he wants to be sure he packs it in before heading back. At this point, I am not sure where he stands on the whole BS experience. He is glad to be home, relaxing, video games, going out to lunch with his old buddies. First trimester was rough since he was dealing with a concussion mid term which really made keeping up with the work difficult. I am not hearing the enthusiastic embrace of this new experience. It is eye opening being in school with such a diverse group of kids. He is not a complainer so it is sometimes hard to discern what he is thinking and or feeling. I know this year is an adjustment but for some reason I thought I would hear more positive stories. He has an established small group of buddies who he spends his free time. I guess I am waiting to hear the enthusiastic embrace of this new experience and I am not hearing it yet. We are glad to have him home and I know the time will fly by and we will be heading back to the airport soon enough. He is coming off a week of difficult exams so I guess it is time for him to recharge his batteries. So if anyone can add some insight to my observations, I would appreciate hearing your experience.</p>
<p>Sometimes the information comes tangentially, instead of straight on, especially with boys. If you get him talking about something HE wants to talk about, eventually references to school life may drop in. Another good idea is car rides. Trapped in a car for a substantial amount of time, BS kids are cued to “participate,” so maybe he’ll start a conversation. Last best suggestion is to drive him and a friend/friends around, and stay silent. If they “forget” you’re there you may get some decent intel.</p>
<p>One hard part: we are dying to know more about school and she doesn’t want to talk about it. She wants to be “away” for the week… We may never learn about her new life! :)</p>
<p>In our family, I’m the FBI and my wife runs more to Timothy Leary (she might resent that characterization). I would ask our son a ream of questions, an approach which never, ever worked. My wife, “the cool one,” would hardly say anything at all about School and never ask a question. Within hours, our son would voluntarily start coughing up all the gossip, worries, school stories and fun info. It used to drive me nuts, but the lesson was clear!</p>
<p>CM, I’m thinking about moving to California! It’s not just the cold, it’s the wind! </p>
<p>I don’t know about anyone else ( and maybe it’s just a boy thing ) but I’m always shocked at how much food they eat. It’s endless. Don’t they feed these kids at school? My cupboards are bare and I’ve been to the market three times already! </p>
<p>PhotographerDad is ready to institute food rationing. It’s completely insane. </p>
<p>Firstgen - You are not alone. Chimneykid has not “fallen” for her school yet either but there is evidence that she has bonded with the school in many important ways, and she seems more comfortable than a few weeks ago. It’s a process I guess. She is doing well, and she has a wide circle of friends on campus but I don’t feel she has totally found her groove yet. I think her advisors would be very surprised to hear this too as she is also “not a complainer.” I haven’t had any email from her advisor since the “hello” email sent the 2nd week of school so I guess that’s good? </p>
<p>And it is not just the boys who need to be drawn out. I definitely get as much milage as possible out of that 5 hour drive home! Chimneykid is also still very bonded with friends at home. Does anyone have a BS child who managed to maintain friendships at home for more than a year after they left? I think she is coming to terms with the separation but she still misses her friends terribly so being home is a bit bittersweet.</p>
<p>I have managed to pull some information out of our son. I hear little tidbits here and there. I think part of the issue is that he is still adjusting to the intense work load. He has always been a hard worker but this experience is a “whole 'nother level” to quote a skit from SNL. I did ask the hypothetical question “If someone from the current eight grade class (at his former school) was interested, qualified and gained acceptance to his BS, Would he tell him to go? His answer- absolutely, there is no where at home where he can get this kind of education.” So that is the extent of my validation that he is happy with his decision even though he isn’t bubbling over with joy. The best part of this break is the fact that he will be returning to a fresh start of the second trimester. In the past they returned after Thanksgiving with finals exams to look forward to.</p>
<p>My son has been eating like crazy the food that he could not eat at school - cheese fondue, Panera, and chipostle, etc. He doesn’t stay home all day long taking a nap or doing some video games. He is going to see his old friends from middle school and go to the movies tomorrow, visit his middle school teachers and so on. We decided to NOT ask him many things about the school and wait until he reveals the stories. So far no success.</p>
<p>Picked up 7D1 on Sat after attending the college process kickoff program that SAS offers families of Juniors.</p>
<p>Been a whirlwind ever since…dr/hair/ortho appointments, sister’s athletic tournament, Catching Fire, Dr. Who special, etc. A surprising amount of info offered (some of it unsolicited) about current state of school (individually and in general).</p>
<p>MOUNTAINS of laundry.</p>
<p>I forgot how talkative she is when she’s enthusiastic about something. The household is definitely a click louder with 2 kids under the roof.</p>
<p>PhotoMom: you didn’t ask me, but I’ll give you my opinion anyhow! lol
It was great. Very true to the book, more so than the first film. More violence, though, and darker… I covered my face for about five minutes. It was long (2 and a half hours) and quite intense. I couldn’t fall asleep that night.<br>
I didn’t want to see the first film… CameoKid had to drag me to it… but I am hooked now.</p>
<p>@photomom/cameo:
I’ve read all the Hunger Games books (got to keep up with the kids are reading, you know) and thought the first movie was not that good….this one is quite good.</p>
<p>On another note, AVOID THE ENDER’S GAME MOVIE AT ALL COSTS…especially if you are a fan of the books.</p>
<p>Oh, and if you have not seen “Winter’s Bone”…Jennifer Lawrence’s breakout role, you should. A very very rough story (life in rural Ozarks), but when I saw her in it, I knew Hollywood had its next star.</p>
