Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Senior Moments

Well, Son #1 will graduate this May. It is really much harder than I expected to think of turning him loose into the world. I don’t know how my parents did it. I had no ability to make decisions (except possibly the WRONG ones). I had no ability to see into the future and around corners to know how my current actions my impact my future. I’m now looking at my own kid and realizing with CLARITY that he doesn’t possess many of these skills either.

I want him to enjoy his youth….I want him to be carefree and fun….but I also want him to have some ADULT sensibilities, which right now…well….not so much. I want him to be able to make solid, mature decisions, yet have the fun a college youth SHOULD have. I want him to break away, yet still need me sometimes.

How do college kids manage? How do they wrap their minds around their studies? What makes some kids studious and industrious and others nothing but party animals? What keeps the party animals ALIVE and making it through school? HOW DID I DO IT? I didn’t. I screwed around, partied a lot, and was UN-invited to return after my first semester. With my 1.5 gpa or whatever.

Luckily, the University must have been USED to this sort of behavior….because when I appealed, I got re-admitted under academic probation, and although I squeaked by---I still had no motivation to succeed in school. I just cared enough to get by. I met my husband in college and he was much more motivated than I was, but he was dragged down by my party girl attitude.

Anyway, now my own son looks at me like I am a clueless alien. One that could NEVER imagine all the fun stuff the world holds…….and that he wants to try it all at least once and the REALLY fun stuff multiple times.

I think, how will he learn to feed himself? Work? Mange to keep his grades up while experiencing the fun part of early college? HELP ME INTERNET…..HELP ME WRAP MY BRAIN AROUND THIS……Tell me that we all did it. That we all turned into decent people. That he won’t DIE OR BECOME HOMELESS.

Anyway, here are some ‘senior’ photos of my baby. Mr. Perfectly is the photographer.

Look at ALL of them……and LOVE IT!!











Isn't he awesome? I KNOW!!!!!

Also, I need graduation party ideas. Low key and simple. He's not into over the top.

Toodles for now. Happy Tuesday.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

He really is super delicious.

None of us are ready for college, but somehow we survive it and manage to grow up.

Well, most of us do anyway.

He'll be okay, mama.

You'll see.

Anonymous said...

PS: My graduation party was pretty nice. We had a cook out at my grandmother's house and invited all my little friends and immediate family. My boyfriend's mother was a total bitch and wouldn't let him come.

I'm not bitter about that at all. It was only a major milestone in my life, lady!

Sorry.

I need to bring this one to therapy. Clearly.

Perfectly Shelly said...

We'll bar-b-que, and have a cake....we'll do it at dad's farm since I have such a tiny place......he's got kitchen and patio room, PLUS 70 acres for people to roam should they so choose.

We aren't having too many young folk come because we don't want it to turn into a kegger on a remote farm......YOU KNOW those parties......we all went to at least one.

although, when I was in high school, they didn't take kegs to the fields. They took washtubs full of everclear and grape kool-aid.

OY!! SEE WHY I WORRY?????

Perfectly Shelly said...

OH---and thank you....yes he's handsome

(it's not legal for me to think he's delicious....so thank you for thinking so)

MsDarkstar said...

Very handsome son you have there, Shelley!

The fact that you and I and Crissy and dozens of others are still here today to blog proves that in spite of our youthful follies and foibles, we all make it.

Daisee579 said...

I agree with Crissy, he's super cute. Yes, I'm married and way too old for him, but I can still appreciate a nice looking boy :)

Just send him care packages and notes reminding him you love him. My parents did that with me and it helped - I was only 17 when I started college. I had no idea what I was getting into, but I survived. Don't smother him or he'll rebel. And invite him home for a good meal. One can only eat so many meals of Ramen or Kraft macaroni and cheese or cafeteria food.

I don't think I have any good ideas for a graduation party, but the cook out and your dad's sounds fun. You'll have to take some pics for us :)

Dingo said...

I think you only need to worry if he starts standing on street corners hurling insults at people. Then again, in the right city that could be very lucrative.

Invite him home but don't smother him, make him handle his own issues (roommates, closed classes, etc.) as much as possible, let him bring home friends from school, both of you relax! And remember, he's going to miss you as much as you miss him.

stoogepie said...

He is indeed a hottie. He is officially invited to my next threesome.

I suggest you let him throw his own party, maybe on some abandoned farm or in some remote place. Or rent out a strip club or something and give him a sack of cash. I went away for my graduation party and brought some friends with me. I suggest Vikings Exotic Resort in the Dominican Republic. They have packages. Talk to your travel agent.

You know, acting like an adult and being sensible is entirely overrated. All the people who were industrious in college regret it now. They wish they had gone to parties and gotten laid and had some fun before it required Viagra and before it required pills to ease the back pain and before red wine started giving them migraines. Those people got the same degrees as the rest of us except that we got an edumacation in how to have a good time and they are hoping to finally learn something about that when they retire if their 401(k) hasn't been eaten away by the Bernie Madoffs of the world. You don't learn how to balance the work and the fun in your life by putting off the fun until you have a degree and a good job. You learn balance by juggling and falling on your ass a lot.

Just saying, let Son #1 taste the sweet nectar of forbidden fruit. It's nutritious in many more ways than you care to admit. And you wouldn't be the fun-loving mama you are today if you hadn't been a party girl at just the right time.