Jeez Louise.....I thought that since my son was out of high school and starting at a community college in the fall, that my involvement in "school stuff" would be minimal. I don't have to buy uniforms or school supples, no more lunches to fix, no open houses, schedules to deal with...I'm out...finished...my job is done....boy was I wrong.
Now my son is no "dim bulb", but not a genius either. A boy with average intelligence, a good boy who has never given me any problems, a hard worker, holding down a job and going to school and pays his bills...but sometimes talking to him is like talking to a wall. I have been assured by other mothers of teenage boys that his is perfectly normal, that the slack-jawed, confused look in the eyes is normal. I'll be glad when this phase is over. Girls seem to be a lot more mature at this age, for the most part.
Getting registered, signing up for classes, financial aid, books, student ID's, parking passes AND changing jobs all at the same time has been majorly stressful. Plus, his new job also pays for college and that involved a lot more forms, forms, forms to fill out and have completed by a certain time. Now all of the above wasn't anything that I personally have to do and I really didn't want to have to be involved with any of it except to offer advice and guidance. HA!
He goes for orientation, that went well. Then it came time to register for classes. He is planning on getting certified for a particular field, but he was told that class was full for the fall semester so he signed up for pre-req. classes in order to get his Associate's degree. When he got home he noticed that a couple of his classes had been scheduled for the wrong time. So, the next day he went back to fix the problem. This time he was able to talk to the guy in charge of the program he want to get into and he got to change his schedule altogether to be in this program. GREAT!! He gets home, the class times are wrong. I asked him if he looks at his schedule before he leaves registration to make sure it's right..."No, I didn't think about it". **sigh**
For the next two weeks he calls the guy in charge of the program, everyday, gets no answer but leaves a message everytime. No call back. I decide I'll try to call and find out when the guy is in, nobody knows. I ask about his schedule, they tell me my son has to call about his schedule. I tell them that I know that, I just want to know who he needs to call. They give me the number of the man he's been trying to call for two weeks. Since my son is now working nights and sleeping in the day, I tell him that I will call the guy and see if I can make an appt. for him. But first I ask him what he said in the messages that he left. He told me, then a light bulb goes off in my head.....did you leave him your phone number? "Should I have?" he asks. AARRGGGGHHHHHH!! I think it might have helped I replied. When I get to work, I call the guy, leave a message telling him the problem and give him my son's phone number, within 45min he calls my son and the problem is fixed. He's been out of town and calling in to get his messages. **sigh**
All the financial aid papers that I had to fill out were done back in February. But on the college website it wasn't showing up that it had been applied to his account. I had to call several times about that. Each time I called I would be able to talk to the "next available representative" and because of "the high number of calls they were experiencing" I waited 25-30min each time, on hold, and a couple of times it would just cut me off. It was making me crazy. But I think it is all good now. **sigh**
My son had to fill out lots of online info in order for his job to pay for his college tuition. "Have you filled it out yet" I would ask. "I will" he'd say. "There is a time limit on this". Next day, "have you finised it yet". "I did part of it" he replied. This went on for days. I know, I know, the conventional wisdom out there is that I should let it be and if he doesn't get it done, it's his own fault. But I cannot pay for his college education so these forms HAD to be filled out on time. I'll back off later. When I went to college years ago, it was a lot different and there was no internet and no online forms to fill out, it just seemed easier then.
Classes start tomorrow, now is the time for me to back off and let him take care of his schedule, classes, working at night and getting enough sleep. He says he has it under control. I am going to take him at his word. I'm, exhausted.
Kathy
No comments:
Post a Comment