Last sprint

I was warned. I should’ve known the lengths of which college applications would confuse me like a Games Magazine jigsaw puzzle. I suspected as much and enlisted the help of a college paperwork specialist. I’m not sure if that’s Melissa’s title, but I’m lucky to have the assistance of a friend who is expert in the areas of Naviance and Fafsa. Melissa excels at the sprint work needed in these matters.

It may seem crazy to say we get the easy part - financing a debt that’s almost as much as a second home, but it’s true. Identifying which colleges to consider, letters of recommendations, brag sheets, transcripts, early application deadlines and fees, and in the case of my kid, audition mp3 discs and live tryouts are all part of our job as parents to prepare our son for the life he chooses.  What choice will be the right one, will the investment yield a self-sufficient life, and more importantly will he blossom into the person he sees himself becoming are the unknowns.

Connor in Messy Room

Getting past go is just the beginning. While it’s my son who is applying for college, it’s me who is minding the deadlines. I can’t play the music for him and I can’t make the calls that he’s supposed to make to arrange his own auditions.

Asking my kid to be proactive in his own ‘to do’ list seemingly falls into the same category as asking a 17-year old to clean up his room. The probability of finding a clear path past the clothes on the floor is remote.

I wonder how it will all turn out. I know about waiting for things, like when I was pregnant,  this too will pass. My son will attend college - we just don’t know where yet.

In the meantime all I can do is try to be less bitchy about the stress and maybe, just maybe, plot the makeover for his room once he’s gone.