June is finally over. Can't say I'm going to miss it, which is unusual for me since I'm one of those people who can't wait to say goodbye to cold, snowy weather. I normally embrace the summer with considerable passion. It's my favorite time of the year. Time to enjoy sun-soaked picnics and trips to the ballpark, golf, tennis and nightly use of the Weber. The problem is, it's also the time for graduation parties. Maybe it's just me, but opening the mailbox to find yet another reminder of our suspect parenting tends to put me in a less than celebratory mood.
In my head, I know our kids have to find their own way. I know they're on their own unique journey of discovery. But how have all of our friends' children managed to navigate four years of college while ours have not? What did all of them do that we didn't? Were we not tough enough? Did we not make education enough of a priority? Could we have helped them research schools more thoroughly? Did we leave too much of the process in their hands? The answer is probably yes to all of the above but maybe it's just more complicated than that. It's certainly not as simple as saying that our friends' kids were just more mature/intelligent/ambitious than ours. I've known most of them all their lives and that sure as hell isn't true. Our kids are every bit as capable but, for some reason, have struggled with picking a lane and moving forward. So, while they've accumulated college credits, neither one of them is remotely close to picking up that sheepskin. But I haven't given up hope. Our son has enrolled in fall classes at the community college and our daughter is intent on going back to complete her degree in Fashion Merchandising as soon as she can apply for aid on her own. Maybe there's a June celebration in our future after all. Class of 2013. It has a nice ring to it.
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