Let the Game Begin

Kid 1 has started her junior year of high school. It's late September and I just had my first "College Mom" encounter.

In the grocery store, I ran into a neighborhood mom who has a passel of girls, the oldest of whom has just left for a pricey Catholic "university" that's probably less than an hour from home. Sacred Someone University or Convent of the Holy Hedgehog.... one of them.

"She applied to nine schools and she got into all of them", she told me. I said "Wow, that's great", and I meant it. Her next question of course was "Where is your daughter going to apply?" and I foolishly said "she's planning to go to school in the city for fashion design".

"Oh well, she better have a backup plan, " she said knowingly. I shrugged--what a naif I am sometimes--and said" I think she'll be fine. " Then I scurried away. (Did I really expect her to say" wow, that's great, you must be very proud." I guess I did.)

I do think she'll be fine. She has talent and she has drive and direction. She has always been interested in fashion and I like to think that's mostly my fault. About a year ago I realized that she knows the details of clothing far better than I do.

Now the details have to be just right.. When she shops she is looking for pieces that fit an image in her head. She wants to buy what she has already imagined. Needless to say, she finds shopping frustrating. She'd rather I shop for her because it simplifies things.

For most kids in this town, the goal is to get into a highly rated private college. Her goal is very different and after my first College Mom encounter I realize that she and I are both going to have to tune out a lot of naysayers over the next two years She'll apply to three schools at most but her first choice is the one where she's been taking pre-college classes for at least three years. I think she'll be fine. Oh and sewing classes start this Saturday.

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