When your kid becomes an adult -- a long-overdue brag :-)

[Halftime Hope]

Late night musings; sorry so long.

 

A few folks here remember when a bunch of us were hanging out on the high school and college board, sharing the wild ride of getting the WTM Class of 2010 out the door and off to their respective colleges.  We (the WTM mamas that year) had a kid -- or maybe two?-- go to a service academy, one to Stanford, one to an accelerated med school program, and many to colleges of their choosing with full rides or really substantial scholarships. 

 

That was the year my dd, our family's academic "golden child", went off to college, and like her peers, she did really well, and continues to do so.  She will finish her graduate degree and her professional contact hours/certifications in May of 2018. 

 

My youngest, awesome kid that he is, just wasn't nearly as interested in academics, but he quietly plugged away at two years of community college and then transferred, performing solidly at the LAC as well.  It's an even more admirable accomplishment when you factor in his profound dyslexia and his decision not to avail himself of accommodations.

 

He will graduate next weekend, and amazingly, he will start a fulltime job in his chosen career on the following Monday. 

 

Crazy facts that lead us to believe that he is very, very blessed, and that God put him right where he is supposed to be:

 

1) His job is in a non-profit field in which full-time jobs are as scarce as hens' teeth.

2) There were sixty applicants for the job at the non-profit, narrowed down to two applicants who were interviewed.

3) Ds met the hiring manager at a corporate event about a month prior to the end of the non-profit's search.  They were proceeding with their two finalists, but the manager told ds to send his resume, in case the manager heard of another opening among the manager's professional contacts.

4) The two finalists interviewed for the job, but both turned out to be a bad fit.

5) Ds got a call inviting him to come interview, hit it off smashingly with the entire panel of interviewers, aced the two days of multiple interviews and meet-and-greets, and then got a job offer.

 

It's been a stealthy transformation, but I think I can truly declare him an adult, at least by most measures.   :smilielol5:

 

But he's still the zany one, the one who walks up to strangers in the mall and holds their hand just to get a reaction; the one whose idea of a perfect birthday gift is a package of 100 quick-fill water balloons; the affectionate one who calls home to say he misses me, and, can he come home this weekend to sit on the couch and watch a movie?  (His way of saying he needs a "mom snuggle.") 

 

He'll always be my baby, but he is also a good man whose heart is centered on serving people--and he'll get paid for it! 

 

I am a lavishly blessed mom.

 

P.S. For those in the throes of raising little kids; please take heart. I'm older, much grayer, and have scars on my body and on my heart, but I lived to tell. You will, too, and there will be joy and hysterical laughter along the way.  I promise! 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 29, 2017 by Halftime Hope

[Melissa in Australia]

Congratulations to you and fantastic news about your children.

[Soror]

Congrats, thanks for sharing.

[Mama Geek]

Congrats to you and your young adults!

 

[Guest]

That is so very encouraging to people like me, still in the middle of it all and with exactly the same disparity between first-born and second-born.

[MomsintheGarden]

Beautiful reminder to keep on keeping on. Congratulations to you both!

[creekland]

Love your late night musings!   :hurray:

[Alice]

 

 

It's been a stealthy transformation, but I think I can truly declare him an adult, at least by most measures.   :smilielol5:

 

But he's still the zany one, the one who walks up to strangers in the mall and holds their hand just to get a reaction; the one whose idea of a perfect birthday gift is a package of 100 quick-fill water balloons; the affectionate one who calls home to say he misses me, and, can he come home this weekend to sit on the couch and watch a movie?  (His way of saying he needs a "mom snuggle.") 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for posting. I have a son who sounds so much like this. He will run out of the door every time I leave to give "one last hug". He wears crazy socks and a treasured possession is his rainbow squid hat. I don't want him to lose his goofy lovable personality but it's also always good to hear about kids who managed to grow up and take on responsibility and still stay zany. :) 

[Twigs]

:hurray:  :hurray:  :hurray:

[Halftime Hope]

re. the fun, goofy, affectionate part: I think it runs in the family a bit. 

 

My paternal grand-dad was both zany and intellectual. My mom loved people and always ready for an adventure, as did my MIL.  And then there's my brother:  his wife calls him "Disney dad."

 

What can I say?!? 

 

 

[ssexton]

I "liked" this, but I wish there was an option to "love" it! Thank you for the encouragement! I'm feeling bittersweet at the fact I'll be graduating my two oldest over the next two years. Congrats to you!!