It’s been a big month for #1 daughter. She got her driver’s license, she received her first official recruiting letter from a college swim coach (at one of her most preferred schools), and today she turned 17.
She also enrolled in her first college class, as a dual-enrolled high school senior, getting an early start on her intended major of Asian Studies by taking Chinese history.
The class meets across the hall from my office, and 15 minutes before class every day, she stops in to say hi and chat for a few minutes. If I happen to be out of my office, she stops by after class.
Every. Single. Day.
This is a perq of parenthood I never anticipated, and it’s space awesome.
STOP RUBBING IT IN, HANLEY!!!Report
If you can just refrain from actually eating your kids, this is what you have to look froward to.Report
When I was in university, and sometimes dropped by to see my mom at her office (she was halfway up an office tower, so I didn’t just happen to be by her office daily) she always kept snacks in her office. I think the concern was more that she would eat a student or colleague than a family member.
My dad would have been as likely to be in a lab as his office, but anyway is better able to keep his composure when hungry. I take after my mom on that front.Report
I don’t know that he’ll make it that far without imploding.Report
If you’ve managed to raise kids to adulthood in a manner that did not involve overt brainwashing, and they still like you enough to want to visit you daily, you win at life.
Congratulations James!
That said, I may be slightly luckier than you. My son’s daycare shares a (very small) parking lot with my office building. Everyday for lunch (unless I’m stuck on a call or in a meeting), I get to go spend 15-20 minutes with my boy & his class. I’m not sure how other adults make it through the day without being able to stop & spend time wrestling, playing, or reading with a gaggle of toddlers.
I’m not sure how I will when he goes to grade school…Report
@mad-rocket-scientist
Now you know why I love my job.Report
Wow, exciting times in the Hanley household!
I’m a little jealous of having your kid take a class across the hall where you work.Report
My wife left at sixteen went off to a G&T boarding school, as did one of her two sisters. She’s been open about the fact that she’d like our children to have that same opportunity, if it arose.
Which would break my heart. Sixteen is when kids become a new kind of interesting!Report
a G&T boarding school,
Eh?Report
Gifted & Talented boarding school. North Carolina has a version, as do other states.
As for your story, pics or it didn’t happen. 😉Report
@james-hanley Here’s a post I wrote on it a while back, comparing my more traditional experience with her more unique one. @scarletnumbers ‘s example is on target.Report
Gin and Tonic of course!Report
I don’t know if the fact that I didn’t know what G&T meant indicates the region in which I grew up, or that I wasn’t gifted and talented enough to find out about such places.Report
The G&T boarding schools seem more prominent in the south, for whatever reason. I’m sure they exist elsewhere, but the ones I’m familiar with span from North Carolina to Texas.Report
I wasn’t gifted and talented enough to find out about such places.
Well those of us who are G&T aren’t supposed to use such terms in front of non-G&T’ers.
5 demerits for @will-trumanReport
Well, I’ve always seen references to Gifted and Talented education as either just “Gifted” or by the acronym GATE. G&T is a mixed drink.Report
Congratulations.Report
The daily visits are nice, but I’d sure be salivating if some school wanted my kid to come play sports for it while they paid for her education.Report
I should have been clearer–DIII. She’s a pretty doggone good swimmer, but DI swimmers are something else altogether, and most of them only get partial scholarships (the travails of being a non-revenue sport, I suppose).
But we are in a consortium of colleges that offer tuition exchange. It’s not automatic, though–they have to decide your kid is worth giving free tuition. We’re crossing our fingers that the swim coach can persuade the powers-that-be that she’s worth it, in which case your point does come into play. It’s all in that zone for which the technical term is “crapshoot.”Report
swimming is an expensive sport to host. there’s some mitigation available (renting the space to local groups for lessons, etc) but they are very minor compared to the maintenance costs involved.
on the other hand it is somewhat attractive to prospective students. and, at least on the d3 level, everyone gets the same cool pool to play in.Report
bad manners on my part – good luck on the tuition exchange!Report
Bad manners? I certainly didn’t take it that way. I think you’re very right.Report