How did we get here? It seems like just yesterday. We were changing diapers and up at all wee hours of the night feeding bottles. Now look where we are. We are ready to send these guys off to the big big world. Did we do enough? did we do everything like we were supposed to? Did we teach them right from wrong? Can they take care of themselves? This is uncharted territory and let’s be honest we’re just flying by the seat of our pants.
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The Academic Preparation
Academically speaking we know that they should have been prepared with ap courses and dual enrollment classes and prepped all through middle and high school. All the sleepless nights of cramming for final exams and presentations for class surely gave them a taste of what college life should be. They have been given tools to learn study skills that work for them and help them feel prepared to assimilate information from the teachers or textbooks to answer questions on tests.
From Preschool to College
What I am talking about is how those sweet young kids in prek singing in their holiday musical for their parents, get to the point of getting accepted to universities and planning to leave home. It certainly is surreal. We can only hope that our village has poured into them and they are truly ready to step out into the world. College is a chance to just dip a toe in the water of that big big world. Through trial and error and there will be error, they will learn how to navigate life decisions and learn life skills for when they are truly out on their own.
Lessons Learned Along the Way
Teachers and coaches have not only taught them academics and sports but in a roundabout way they have been teaching them life skills all along to prep them. In kindergarten they began to learn sharing and putting others first. Playing sports taught them how to be a team player and how to work together towards a common goal. Summer camp taught them how to share a room with other people and use a community bath. Teachers and coaches instilled confidence that they could do hard things and could achieve anything they set their minds to.
Students have learned compassion and empathy and how to look after the less fortunate. Selling Girl Scout cookies taught them about commerce and basic people skills. They have learned to believe in a cause and fight for justice and what is right. Students have learned how to be good sportsmen and cheer for the underdog. All along the way people have been pouring into our children and sowing seeds of the character of who they will become.
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The Village That Shaped Them
That is how they have gotten here. Every soccer practice, ballet lesson or Sunday night youth group has gotten them to this point. But most of all it is their family and loved ones that have helped them become who they are meant to be. It is the favorite cashier at the grocery store, the teller at the bank, the barista at Starbucks and all the people who have ever encountered your child. They are a melting pot of the people and experiences that have traveled with them on their journey.
Sending Them Forward
Now, they will take all that knowledge they have gleaned over the years and test the waters to see if they can swim. You’ll be right there to catch them when they fall and help them learn from their mistakes. But that is how you guys got here.
I hope you can send them off to college with the confidence that you have given them the love and the foundation they need to become a success. You have surrounded them with people and experiences that will give them the knowledge to be successful adults. Well done mom and/or dad you have done an amazing job and you can truly say you can’t wait to see oh the places they will go.
Sending a child to college is emotional, but being organized can bring peace of mind. If you’d like extra support while you plan this next chapter, my college prep bundle was created to guide parents step by step through the process. You can learn more about it here:
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