College. Many of us encourage our children to go to college. Many students are taking out debt, and finishing four years of school with a massive pile of debt that they will have to pay back.
There are some very important keys to getting a college education:
1) Make certain that you get a degree in a useful field. I am not certain where someone will become employed with a degree in some of the fields that are out there. Education, Nursing, Accounting, some STEM fields- yes, I do see where they will be employed. Do some research to make certain that there is demand in the field you wish to enter.
2) Not every field demands a college education. Let your child be honest with themselves. Plumbers earn better money than teachers, and they can enter a program through the Vocational Center in your local school system that will make them employable upon graduation.
3) You don't need a degree from an expensive school to succeed in life. An in-state school with a low tuition rate will give your child an excellent degree. Do your research! Check and find out what the employment rate is for graduates of the school. What is their retention rate?
4) Community colleges are a wonderful, smart, affordable way to begin higher education.
So, we have two children in college full time right now. Neither one has debt.
Both boys took multiple Advanced Placement classes in high school. They entered college as sophomores by credit. Oldest child was a junior by credit at the end of the first semester of college. We are fortunate, in that he has some very generous merit based scholarships. He is covering the difference between what his scholarships cover with money he has earned working on campus.
We have paid for two years of the Maryland Pre-Paid College trust for the youngest two children.
Middle child is in his second year of his plan. He has already found an internship, in his field. Not only is he setting aside money for next year's tuition, he is also getting real-world, on the job experience in his field that is just as valuable as his school education, and will help him land that first job when he graduates.
Youngest child is a Senior in high school this year. She has taken AP classes in the past, and she is taking more AP classes this year. However, she mixed things up a little bit. She is taking Dual Enrollment Classes at the Community College. For two periods a day, she is at our high school. For the second two periods, she is taking classes at the community college. These classes will transfer directly - as credit - when she begins college. She has plans to finish 12 credits of courses this year.
In our county, we pay $100/credit hour for the first 12 hours of credits at the community college. That's a bargain, in my book.
Some counties cover the entire cost of coursework at the community college that students undertake. As long as they keep their average above a certain level (usually a 2.5) the school system will continue to cover the cost of the classes.
Yesterday, I heard of an innovative partnership I had never heard of before. Students who are entering high school, and meet grade and attendance guidelines may take Dual Enrollment classes at the high school beginning as Freshman. When these students graduate from high school, they will also graduate with an Associate's Degree. When I spoke with the librarian at this college, she mentioned to me that these highly motivated students are graduating with AA degrees in Nursing, Nutrition, Accounting, and have finished the first two years of Engineering programs.
Food for thought.
Friday, August 29, 2014
Wednesday, August 27, 2014
Moving Into College - Part 2
We moved our boys into school on Monday.
You know, you would think that with two children going to the same school, this would be easy.
I was wrong.
Our van went into the shop on Friday for an oil change and stayed in until Monday night with some serious issues that didn't get resolved until Monday afternoon when the parts came in.
So, that left us with a Honda Civic and two boys to move into school.
It was also the first day of school for daughter.
She is participating in dual enrollment at the Community College this year, and her day at the high school is finished at 11. She is expected to be off campus once her morning classes are finished.
Did I mention that we were down to one car?
Monday morning, bright and early, middle child packed up the Honda with his stuff. Husband drove, and middle child, daughter, and I all piled into the car, each of us with things on our laps.
We dropped daughter off at the high school.
Husband dropped me off at work.
Husband and son went to school. Son checked into his dorm. When they opened the trunk to unload the car, they found that he had loaded the trunk so tightly that his clothes popped out of the trunk and onto the ground. They were spring-loaded!! They picked everything up, tossed it all onto his bed, and husband went back home.
Thank the good lord our house is only an hour away from the school. Otherwise, we probably would have had to rent a moving van.
Husband picked up daughter from school. He went home, and oldest child proceeded to load his stuff into the Honda.
They stopped by work and picked me up, and we went to school. Oldest child checked into his dorm room while we unloaded the car. Gone are the days when I would lovingly help the kids unpack their stuff and set their rooms up. We tossed everything on top of the bed and left. He's 21. I think he's old enough to handle unpacking his own crap, and setting up his own room.
I then went to check out middle child's room, to make certain he had made some effort of unpacking. While there, I noticed something kind of cool. Even though the boys are in different dorms, they can see each others rooms. They are directly across the street from each other.
We decided we'd have one last meal - lunch- in the dining hall together. (Gotta love dining hall food. Decades after I finished college, I still have horrible flashbacks to "mystery meat" and "scrod".) Granted, their food is better, and they have more choices, but I still think I cook better than anything you can find in a dining hall.
We head back out to the car.... but wait.... what's this? Husband has lost the keys.
Great, search, search, and search. We finally find the keys in the grass on some random pathway. We arrived back home, too exhausted to think, and just sat and stared at each other for a while. Daughter rummaged through the freezer and put dinner together for us. It was a very quiet meal. Really, really quiet.
This week has been very bittersweet. I tell you, I am emotionally wiped out. Daughter is starting her last year of high school. Oldest child is starting his last year of college. She's looking at colleges all over the country. He's looking at Graduate Schools all over the country. My nest is going to be very empty next year. I'm thrilled that they are all flourishing, but I am also missing my nest, and my wonderful little kids. This is going to be a tough year.
You know, you would think that with two children going to the same school, this would be easy.
I was wrong.
Our van went into the shop on Friday for an oil change and stayed in until Monday night with some serious issues that didn't get resolved until Monday afternoon when the parts came in.
So, that left us with a Honda Civic and two boys to move into school.
It was also the first day of school for daughter.
She is participating in dual enrollment at the Community College this year, and her day at the high school is finished at 11. She is expected to be off campus once her morning classes are finished.
Did I mention that we were down to one car?
Monday morning, bright and early, middle child packed up the Honda with his stuff. Husband drove, and middle child, daughter, and I all piled into the car, each of us with things on our laps.
We dropped daughter off at the high school.
Husband dropped me off at work.
Husband and son went to school. Son checked into his dorm. When they opened the trunk to unload the car, they found that he had loaded the trunk so tightly that his clothes popped out of the trunk and onto the ground. They were spring-loaded!! They picked everything up, tossed it all onto his bed, and husband went back home.
Thank the good lord our house is only an hour away from the school. Otherwise, we probably would have had to rent a moving van.
Husband picked up daughter from school. He went home, and oldest child proceeded to load his stuff into the Honda.
They stopped by work and picked me up, and we went to school. Oldest child checked into his dorm room while we unloaded the car. Gone are the days when I would lovingly help the kids unpack their stuff and set their rooms up. We tossed everything on top of the bed and left. He's 21. I think he's old enough to handle unpacking his own crap, and setting up his own room.
I then went to check out middle child's room, to make certain he had made some effort of unpacking. While there, I noticed something kind of cool. Even though the boys are in different dorms, they can see each others rooms. They are directly across the street from each other.
We decided we'd have one last meal - lunch- in the dining hall together. (Gotta love dining hall food. Decades after I finished college, I still have horrible flashbacks to "mystery meat" and "scrod".) Granted, their food is better, and they have more choices, but I still think I cook better than anything you can find in a dining hall.
We head back out to the car.... but wait.... what's this? Husband has lost the keys.
Great, search, search, and search. We finally find the keys in the grass on some random pathway. We arrived back home, too exhausted to think, and just sat and stared at each other for a while. Daughter rummaged through the freezer and put dinner together for us. It was a very quiet meal. Really, really quiet.
This week has been very bittersweet. I tell you, I am emotionally wiped out. Daughter is starting her last year of high school. Oldest child is starting his last year of college. She's looking at colleges all over the country. He's looking at Graduate Schools all over the country. My nest is going to be very empty next year. I'm thrilled that they are all flourishing, but I am also missing my nest, and my wonderful little kids. This is going to be a tough year.
Tuesday, August 26, 2014
Move In Day
My young friend Crystal began college last week.
She originally told her parents that move-in date for her was Tuesday, August 19.
On Thursday, August 14, she told her parents "Oops, I made a mistake. My move in date is tomorrow."
I'm not sure how you mix up 19 and 15, but hey, she's a college Freshman. What do I know?
Both of her parents scrambled to call into work, rearrange time off, reschedule a meeting, and one of them spent the night working on a project that was due Friday afternoon. It was mostly finished, but it needed to be tweaked before it was turned in, so they tweaked it, and sent it into the boss a little before midnight on Thursday.
Did I mention that Crystal had yet to begin packing?
And that her school is in downtown Manhattan?
And her parents didn't have hotel reservations for Friday night?
What could possibly go wrong?
Friday morning found Crystal frantically shoving random items into boxes and lugging them out to the truck.
Her parents were on the internet, frantically searching for a hotel to spend the night.
The parents lucked out. They found a hotel, 2 blocks from school at an unbelievable bargain.
By 9 am, they were ready to go. Move in time was scheduled for noon-3 pm.
Unfortunately, Crystal was not.
You know, at the best of times, it takes close to five hours to get from our neighborhood up to New York City.
At 10 am, Crystal finally shoved the last of her boxes into the car. Dad asked one last time: "Are you sure you have everything you need? Your laptop?"
Crystal replied "Of course I have everything I need Dad... stop asking me".
So, the family hit the road, hoping to get to the dorms before they opened the street by the dorm back up to traffic at 3.
Luck was not with Crystal's family on Friday.
They pulled into Manhattan at 4, and finally made it to her dorm a little before 5.
Parking was non-existent.
So, her mother, being an intrepid urban archeologist who fears no one, and obeys no parking sign, anywhere, pulled up onto the curb in front of the dorm, opened up the back of the truck, and literally shoved everything out of the back and onto the sidewalk while Crystal checked into her dorm. A bemused security guard stood close at hand, laughing at the parents while they threw everything on the sidewalk as fast as they could. Crystal's mom asked "So, what do you think she forgot, her laptop?"
Her father just laughed.
Dad stood guard over her stuff while Mom went to find the hotel and park the car.
20 minutes later, Mom had the car parked at the hotel had checked in, and was back at the front door to the dorm.
In the intervening time, Crystal had managed to check in to her dorm and hauled her stuff up to her room. Crystal's dad was outside, enjoying a cup of coffee with the security guard and telling him the tale of their sudden change of plans.
A very harried Crystal came storming downstairs about this time, all in a flit and a flutter.
"I forgot my laptop! Dad, what am I going to do? I forgot my laptop! I left it at home on the kitchen table!"
The security guard burst out laughing as Dad opened his backpack, pulled out her laptop, and said in a perfect imitation of Crystal: "Of course I have everything I need Dad... stop asking me..."
She originally told her parents that move-in date for her was Tuesday, August 19.
On Thursday, August 14, she told her parents "Oops, I made a mistake. My move in date is tomorrow."
I'm not sure how you mix up 19 and 15, but hey, she's a college Freshman. What do I know?
Both of her parents scrambled to call into work, rearrange time off, reschedule a meeting, and one of them spent the night working on a project that was due Friday afternoon. It was mostly finished, but it needed to be tweaked before it was turned in, so they tweaked it, and sent it into the boss a little before midnight on Thursday.
Did I mention that Crystal had yet to begin packing?
And that her school is in downtown Manhattan?
And her parents didn't have hotel reservations for Friday night?
What could possibly go wrong?
Friday morning found Crystal frantically shoving random items into boxes and lugging them out to the truck.
Her parents were on the internet, frantically searching for a hotel to spend the night.
The parents lucked out. They found a hotel, 2 blocks from school at an unbelievable bargain.
By 9 am, they were ready to go. Move in time was scheduled for noon-3 pm.
Unfortunately, Crystal was not.
You know, at the best of times, it takes close to five hours to get from our neighborhood up to New York City.
At 10 am, Crystal finally shoved the last of her boxes into the car. Dad asked one last time: "Are you sure you have everything you need? Your laptop?"
Crystal replied "Of course I have everything I need Dad... stop asking me".
So, the family hit the road, hoping to get to the dorms before they opened the street by the dorm back up to traffic at 3.
Luck was not with Crystal's family on Friday.
They pulled into Manhattan at 4, and finally made it to her dorm a little before 5.
Parking was non-existent.
So, her mother, being an intrepid urban archeologist who fears no one, and obeys no parking sign, anywhere, pulled up onto the curb in front of the dorm, opened up the back of the truck, and literally shoved everything out of the back and onto the sidewalk while Crystal checked into her dorm. A bemused security guard stood close at hand, laughing at the parents while they threw everything on the sidewalk as fast as they could. Crystal's mom asked "So, what do you think she forgot, her laptop?"
Her father just laughed.
Dad stood guard over her stuff while Mom went to find the hotel and park the car.
20 minutes later, Mom had the car parked at the hotel had checked in, and was back at the front door to the dorm.
In the intervening time, Crystal had managed to check in to her dorm and hauled her stuff up to her room. Crystal's dad was outside, enjoying a cup of coffee with the security guard and telling him the tale of their sudden change of plans.
A very harried Crystal came storming downstairs about this time, all in a flit and a flutter.
"I forgot my laptop! Dad, what am I going to do? I forgot my laptop! I left it at home on the kitchen table!"
The security guard burst out laughing as Dad opened his backpack, pulled out her laptop, and said in a perfect imitation of Crystal: "Of course I have everything I need Dad... stop asking me..."
Saturday, August 23, 2014
Whole Foods Photos
I needed to share these, but I also needed to recharge my phone in order to get to them!
Just look at that architecture! This pattern was repeated throughout the store.
Look at the parking lot! We parked at the mall and walked across the street. So glad we did!
The roofline if the building. I couldn't get a good photo of the front of the store - too many people!
Look at all that light and open space! The windows overlook the lake.
Coffee!!!
Whole Foods
We had a new Whole Foods store open up near us, down in Columbia this past week. Middle son is working across the street from the store, and since I have been driving him to and from work, I decided I would stop by on opening day to see what the store looks like.
First of all, I do need to say how much I love and appreciate the fact that Whole Foods will move into an existing building and retro fit their building to meet the needs of the building. The whole foods at Mount Washington is built inside of an old textile mill along the Jones Falls.
This location was designed by Frank Gehry and was, for many years, the headquarters for the Rouse Corporation. In the last decade, the Rouse corporation was sold to another developer, and they left the Columbia building and moved elsewhere.
Whole Foods is now in this gorgeous piece of architecture. Lovely, beautiful, airy building. If you're not familiar with Frank Gehry's work, take a look at this website to see some of what he has designed over the years: http://architecture.about.com/od/greatbuildings/ig/Buildings-by-Frank-Gehry/. When I first began working in the library world, I worked in a library that had been designed by him. I loved that building!
The building itself is marvelous, the store is amazing. It is a very large store, with many more offerings than I had seen in their other locations. The windows overlooking the lake add a certain something to the store. The store does have a certain advantage in that it is located directly on the Columbia waterfront. They have added a seating/dining area for patrons overlooking the waterfront and out on the balcony over the lake.
Whole Foods is known for their environmentally friendly approach to food, and prides itself on the goodness of their food, as well as the organic nature of much of their food, their energy saving measures in store, etc.
And yet... when I was walking through the parking lot this week, I was struck by the number of giant SUV's, each filled with one person, rushing to be at the front of the line for a free tote bag. Yep, giant gas guzzling SUV's, everywhere you looked, even in the spot reserved for electric cars, with the electric charging station. My poor little Honda Civic was lost in that lot full of monster cars.
First of all, I do need to say how much I love and appreciate the fact that Whole Foods will move into an existing building and retro fit their building to meet the needs of the building. The whole foods at Mount Washington is built inside of an old textile mill along the Jones Falls.
This location was designed by Frank Gehry and was, for many years, the headquarters for the Rouse Corporation. In the last decade, the Rouse corporation was sold to another developer, and they left the Columbia building and moved elsewhere.
Whole Foods is now in this gorgeous piece of architecture. Lovely, beautiful, airy building. If you're not familiar with Frank Gehry's work, take a look at this website to see some of what he has designed over the years: http://architecture.about.com/od/greatbuildings/ig/Buildings-by-Frank-Gehry/. When I first began working in the library world, I worked in a library that had been designed by him. I loved that building!
The building itself is marvelous, the store is amazing. It is a very large store, with many more offerings than I had seen in their other locations. The windows overlooking the lake add a certain something to the store. The store does have a certain advantage in that it is located directly on the Columbia waterfront. They have added a seating/dining area for patrons overlooking the waterfront and out on the balcony over the lake.
Whole Foods is known for their environmentally friendly approach to food, and prides itself on the goodness of their food, as well as the organic nature of much of their food, their energy saving measures in store, etc.
And yet... when I was walking through the parking lot this week, I was struck by the number of giant SUV's, each filled with one person, rushing to be at the front of the line for a free tote bag. Yep, giant gas guzzling SUV's, everywhere you looked, even in the spot reserved for electric cars, with the electric charging station. My poor little Honda Civic was lost in that lot full of monster cars.
Friday, August 22, 2014
Driver's Test, Take 2
Tuesday brought another trip to a far away place for a driver's test. This time, we ended up going well north of Baltimore. It was about 90 minutes one way... and the lines were long, long, long. I believe that every family of 17 year olds in the State of Maryland has attempted to get their kids licensed this week.
Parallel parking had been daughter's fail on Monday. We spend Monday night and Tuesday morning practicing parallel parking. Tuesday morning, she was so frustrated that she ended up in tears in the parking lot, telling me that it would be easier for her to ride her bicycle the 25 miles up and back to the community college each day.
Our appointment was at 2:30, and it can take over 90 minutes to get to our destination. I always leave time to get lost if I'm going to an unfamiliar place, so we left at noon.
(Guess what? Even with the GPS, we did get lost. How I can manage to do that consistently is beyond my own understanding.)
We got to the testing facility an hour early. We sat in the parking lot and watched several other people navigate the course, and we talked through the finer points of the course. I then took daughter back out on the road, and had her drive through the neighborhoods around the MVA office.
At this point, she was so scared, she couldn't remember her right from her left. Seriously.
SO, I did what I used to do when I taught preschool. Actually, it was a little different. When I taught preschool, I used to put a red dot on the kids right hands on Fridays so that we could have Hokie Pokie Day. Tuesday, I pulled a band-aid out of the trunk, and put it on her left index finger, so she would remember left...
We began our 2:30 test at 2:45.
I stood outside and watched while the tester ran her through the course. I was hiding behind a bush (along with someone's grandmother) because we wanted to watch, but we didn't want to freak our kids out by standing where they could see us and see the look of horror on our faces. I had to turn away when she was parallel parking. I saw her make one attempt, and then pull back out and start again, and then I watched her attempt to "finagle" herself into a spot. THAT's when I had to turn away. The grandmother next to me tapped me on the shoulder as soon as she'd parked and said "LOOK MOM!!! She did it!" I then held my breath as she navigated the rest of the course and saw them take off on the road portion of the test.
She came back with a triumphant gleam in her eye! As soon as she got out of the car, she stood up, gave me two thumbs up, and I could see her smile all the way across the parking lot!
WAIT....
This means that the scary part is now beginning. She can drive on her own now.
Talk about some mixed emotions!
Parallel parking had been daughter's fail on Monday. We spend Monday night and Tuesday morning practicing parallel parking. Tuesday morning, she was so frustrated that she ended up in tears in the parking lot, telling me that it would be easier for her to ride her bicycle the 25 miles up and back to the community college each day.
Our appointment was at 2:30, and it can take over 90 minutes to get to our destination. I always leave time to get lost if I'm going to an unfamiliar place, so we left at noon.
(Guess what? Even with the GPS, we did get lost. How I can manage to do that consistently is beyond my own understanding.)
We got to the testing facility an hour early. We sat in the parking lot and watched several other people navigate the course, and we talked through the finer points of the course. I then took daughter back out on the road, and had her drive through the neighborhoods around the MVA office.
At this point, she was so scared, she couldn't remember her right from her left. Seriously.
SO, I did what I used to do when I taught preschool. Actually, it was a little different. When I taught preschool, I used to put a red dot on the kids right hands on Fridays so that we could have Hokie Pokie Day. Tuesday, I pulled a band-aid out of the trunk, and put it on her left index finger, so she would remember left...
We began our 2:30 test at 2:45.
I stood outside and watched while the tester ran her through the course. I was hiding behind a bush (along with someone's grandmother) because we wanted to watch, but we didn't want to freak our kids out by standing where they could see us and see the look of horror on our faces. I had to turn away when she was parallel parking. I saw her make one attempt, and then pull back out and start again, and then I watched her attempt to "finagle" herself into a spot. THAT's when I had to turn away. The grandmother next to me tapped me on the shoulder as soon as she'd parked and said "LOOK MOM!!! She did it!" I then held my breath as she navigated the rest of the course and saw them take off on the road portion of the test.
She came back with a triumphant gleam in her eye! As soon as she got out of the car, she stood up, gave me two thumbs up, and I could see her smile all the way across the parking lot!
WAIT....
This means that the scary part is now beginning. She can drive on her own now.
Talk about some mixed emotions!
Monday, August 18, 2014
Driver's Test, part 1
Daughter took her driver's test today- the behind the wheel driving skills test that will grant her a provisional license and allow her to drive back and forth to school and the community college by herself.
All did not go well.
Yesterday, when we were practicing parallel parking, I could tell all was not well. She was too rattled, and she was overthinking it.
Parallel parking is equal parts technical skill and instinct. You have to know the "feel" of your car well enough to be able to tell where in the space you are, and when you should turn the wheel.
Daughter wants hard and fast rules.
Unfortunately, parallel parking doesn't always work that way. When you are driving a small car, being able to tell where the front and back corners of the car are located can be difficult. I can honestly say, I have only ever driven Honda Civics. I bought my first Civic in 1989. This is my second Civic. I know exactly where the corners are on my car, and I know it's turning radius, and I know how it handles in every kind of weather.
Middle child went out with daughter yesterday. I stood in the parking lot while he attempted to talk her through parking. She had mixed success, and I had a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach that all would not go well today.
So, we hauled ourselves out to Frederick County for her test.
She navigated the first turn of the course, got to the parallel parking section, and promptly wigged out. She actually did get the car parked correctly (after 3 tries), but when she went to pull out from the spot, she didn't pull the car hard enough to the left and hit the cones. And that was the end of the test.
Unfortunately, in Maryland, you have to register online for a driver's skills test, and our registration times are long. The first glance at the registration page showed the FIRST open testing time on Oct. 6.
WHAT??? That's over a month away! I work in the mornings, daughter has to get herself from the high school up to the community college....
I began to hyperventilate as I considered the ramifications and attempted to figure out HOW we were going to make this happen.
And then, a little bit of magic happened.
I went back into the registration page, searched again, and found a testing location and time for tomorrow afternoon. TOMORROW!! I promptly signed her up.
We went out again this afternoon to practice parallel parking some more.
After a very frustrating crying jag and a little bit of screaming, she finally managed to hear what I was telling her. "You know, when you pause and start to turn, or ask if it's far enough back, I tell you go back a scootch more? Line yourself up like you are right now, and then scootch back one." (a scootch being defined as pick your foot up off the brake for a second and then putting it back down again.)
Somehow, those were the magic words. She did it right the first time!
And then she did it again.
And again.
And again
And again.
And then we stopped for the afternoon.
So, tomorrow afternoon we will be attempting to take the test again.
If you could, would you send some calming thoughts and energy our way around 2:30?
All did not go well.
Yesterday, when we were practicing parallel parking, I could tell all was not well. She was too rattled, and she was overthinking it.
Parallel parking is equal parts technical skill and instinct. You have to know the "feel" of your car well enough to be able to tell where in the space you are, and when you should turn the wheel.
Daughter wants hard and fast rules.
Unfortunately, parallel parking doesn't always work that way. When you are driving a small car, being able to tell where the front and back corners of the car are located can be difficult. I can honestly say, I have only ever driven Honda Civics. I bought my first Civic in 1989. This is my second Civic. I know exactly where the corners are on my car, and I know it's turning radius, and I know how it handles in every kind of weather.
Middle child went out with daughter yesterday. I stood in the parking lot while he attempted to talk her through parking. She had mixed success, and I had a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach that all would not go well today.
So, we hauled ourselves out to Frederick County for her test.
She navigated the first turn of the course, got to the parallel parking section, and promptly wigged out. She actually did get the car parked correctly (after 3 tries), but when she went to pull out from the spot, she didn't pull the car hard enough to the left and hit the cones. And that was the end of the test.
Unfortunately, in Maryland, you have to register online for a driver's skills test, and our registration times are long. The first glance at the registration page showed the FIRST open testing time on Oct. 6.
WHAT??? That's over a month away! I work in the mornings, daughter has to get herself from the high school up to the community college....
I began to hyperventilate as I considered the ramifications and attempted to figure out HOW we were going to make this happen.
And then, a little bit of magic happened.
I went back into the registration page, searched again, and found a testing location and time for tomorrow afternoon. TOMORROW!! I promptly signed her up.
We went out again this afternoon to practice parallel parking some more.
After a very frustrating crying jag and a little bit of screaming, she finally managed to hear what I was telling her. "You know, when you pause and start to turn, or ask if it's far enough back, I tell you go back a scootch more? Line yourself up like you are right now, and then scootch back one." (a scootch being defined as pick your foot up off the brake for a second and then putting it back down again.)
Somehow, those were the magic words. She did it right the first time!
And then she did it again.
And again.
And again
And again.
And then we stopped for the afternoon.
So, tomorrow afternoon we will be attempting to take the test again.
If you could, would you send some calming thoughts and energy our way around 2:30?
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