Looking Towards the Future

In a slightly surprising turn of events....my 15-year old is planning. Planning for his future.

He is in the 10th grade. I've been telling him since the end of 8th grade that nowadays you cannot wait for junior or senior year. You have to start at the 9th grade level. When we went to Freshman orientation last year, they said the same exact thing. Start now. See what you need to do to get those scholarships (volunteering, after school activities, clubs, grade point averages, AP classes, etc.) and start doing them.

Ninth grade was not productive in these areas. I worried that I would have to take the reins, and honestly, I didn't want to. NO one did it for me, let me tell you. I had to figure it out on my own; how to apply to college (I only applied to one; the one I wanted to go to. LOL Silly, naiive me. Thank God I made it in. Go Gators), how to apply for Financial Aid (thank you High School Guidance Counselors who did it all and beyond. I had no clue I got so much aid until after 2 or 3 months at UF.) I didn't want to be the mom who did everything while the kid just coasts.

Then , something clicked. I don't know what. Next thing I know, he's in chorus. He's going to sing at Epcot. He's talking to the City Parks and Recs people because he wants to volunteer for the haunted house. He's getting Bright Future Scholarship to-do lists and volunteer hour forms.

(0_O)

Finally, he's contacted a University, on his own. Talking to admissions people, setting up guided tours, planning days for us.

(o_O)

Two years ahead of schedule and he's blowing my mind.