Two years ago I posted photos of pictures in an album my mom gave me from that freshman drop-off. Now that they're nicely scanned, here they are again...
 |
| Packed up and ready to go...but rather unhappy about it! |
 |
| In my room...and still unhappy! |
 |
| Meeting Mary for the first time |
That's 22 years ago tomorrow, folks. HOW?! It was a life-changing day, no doubt. And when I think of the kids who moved in to RIT yesterday, U of R Monday (international) and today (domestic), and will be moving in to Geneseo on Friday, I can't help but be a little jealous and a little in awe of the amazingness of that stage in life where the real deal is about to begin. You meet friends for life, maybe a spouse, and you get on the path to your career (or at least your first job). And when you go away, it's your first real shot to prove you can do this on your own (enough, anyway). I know I grew up a ton. I feel like most kids coming in have no idea just how lucky they are right now to have this opportunity in front of them.
I laughed a bit to myself as I thought of kids waking up on their first morning after their first night on campus. I don't remember mine specifically, but I'm sure there was a feeling of, "Holy cow, this is happening. I live here now." On one hand it was a little overwhelming and on the other it held endless possibilities. We spent that first day taking a shuttle to the mall, which despite being sort of cheesy was a good opportunity to get to know people better. But what made me laugh today was the thought of how many kids didn't get themselves up in time for dining hall breakfast and found themselves snacking on crap or stuck until lunch. When no one is there to tell you to get up, I guess that's step one of adulting to do it yourself, even if you don't have to! I don't know, it just made me smile to think of anyone learning that lesson this week.
On Sunday when we were walking around the Mercyhurst campus, we saw a number of students moving in, many with the help of their parents. It struck me as we watched them that that could be us this week in eight more years. It's hard to believe it's that close--particularly since eight years the other way has gone pretty quickly. Who knows where we'll be by then. Hopefully we're off to some college somewhere--and hopefully it's not some epic roadtrip, but it could be. Jacob has mentioned Wisconsin, USC, Villanova, Duke, and countless other colleges in recent months, so we might have our work cut out for us. Knowing all we've been through with him, college would be a great milestone, but also knowing all we've been through with him, it terrifies me to no end. He's a smart kid but his motivation can be a bit inconsistent. He can barely keep his room livable and he can never remember to take his ADHD medicine, which could be disastrous in many ways. Yes, we still have eight years to work on life skills and I think private school next year will be a huge step to helping him through that process.
Oh, have I talked about that much here? Catholic high schools start in 6th grade here, and given our iffy school district we'd always discussed it as a possibility, particularly since Craig went to one. The cost is high and I did just fine in public schools, but everyone is different and we figured if we thought one was needed by the time we got to this point, we'd consider it. So, that time is now and we have six months to figure it out. I'm not even sure if it's possible with transportation issues or Craig's job situation, but more than likely it's happening because Jacob will probably go on strike if it doesn't! It'll be a huge step up academically from where he's been. I don't think the content will be an issue, but the homework might be since he hasn't had a lot of that thus far. I think the setting will be good for him, though, and knowing college isn't as far away as we think, perhaps the time is now to start preparing.
Today I can't help but think of where I was 22 years ago, or the three years that followed. Those latter three years were actually great (aside from the going back to school part) because I knew who I was living with, I had handpicked my room, and I was a little more of a pro at everything. In its own way it was like going home, and that was pretty special, too. It's why driving back into Geneseo still always feels like home. I never fit in better anywhere else in my life, and I'm excited for the kids today who are about to discover that same part of themselves that they didn't know existed. Oh, to be young again.
Ever hear that saying, "Don't cry because it's over; smile because it happened"? I think that's exactly how I feel this time of year. I'm nostalgic for that time and would give almost anything to hop in a time machine and do it all over again. But how can I be anything but thankful that I have those memories to look back on? It was truly special. And before we know it, we'll be living vicariously through our own kids as they start on that same journey. For now I can only hope and pray it's as awesome for them as it was for me.
No comments:
Post a Comment