Monday, November 7, 2011

Bracing for the Future

We received Aly's second college acceptance over the weekend. This whole process is starting to make me nervous. It is not just a possibility, or something we are trying to do, it is the real deal. I am braced for the last two colleges she applied to, to contact us, both are out of state and both are schools that Aly would like to go to. Once the last two schools put their cards on the table we will begin the process of looking for the school that offers the best deal.

While I want Aly to go to the school of her dreams, I do not want it to become our family's financial nightmare and these days finding that perfect mix is not easy. Besides, dreams change and I also do not want to invest in her attending a school out of state, only to have her head home because she is homesick being so far away. This whole process is exciting for Aly, but has caused me to start gnawing on my finger nails. I am hoping that in the next couple of weeks we will have all the college responses in and we can start making some tough decisions.

I am excited that Aly is putting herself out there looking at schools that are not on a lot of her friend's radars. I am proud of her for having the confidence to make a bold move. I am also proud of her for knowing what she wants to do and going after it. I wish I had a quarter of that confidence and wisdom when I was her age. Aly's ability to know what she wants and step into it is truly a gift and one that I am very jealous of.

In the end she will go off to college whether it will be near or far and she will do well. It is the Mom we have to worry about. She is trying to stay focused on the process and not the cost, the excitement and not the distance, the daughter and not the plan. If I focus on what seems like a problem long enough, I could wind up making a problem, or building a mountain out of a mole hill. In the end I must brace for the future, whatever it will be and trust that it will be bright.

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