7/13/2011 Well, my darling daughter is registered for college! She’s Über excited about it and I’m so proud of her for taking this step—she handled everything herself except paying the tuition. I have my silent reservations about how she’ll handle it, as she doesn’t have the best track record for school. But I’m giving way to trust and hope, and giving her the benefit of the doubt—and I’ll keep my big mouth shut.

Judging by how seriously she takes work, I think there is hope for college. She’s excited about the freedom she has to take classes she has an interest in, and she also takes great pleasure in telling everyone that she’s starting college, which is remarkable since she still supposed to be in high school. To me, she’s more than ready to start this part of her life. Working is great, and she’ll continue to work through school, but it’s not enough. She needs to constantly be moving and thinking and busy, and she needs to meet better quality, like-minded people. Her work friends are pleasant, but most are content to work at a job their whole lives—she is career-oriented, which means education-oriented. Which means—being in alignment with our family values. Which means, maybe all the rebellious stuff is settled in her mind??

I know she’ll have bouts of frustration, anger, and self-doubt while in school—haven’t we all—but she can do this and she WILL do this. She may be lazy half the time, but the other half, when she says she going to do something, she does it. No one can help her or do it for her; in fact, helping is the worst thing you can do for my daughter. She wants to be independent and fall on her face if she has to. I have to curb my instinct to coddle and do for her, but she teaches me every day that I have taught her enough, and she has enough good sense, to be able to handle big-girl, big-world stuff.

August 20 is her BIG DAY! I remember saying that yesterday about kindergarten! Good luck, my beautiful baby.