Dylan Actually Earned This Opportunity.
Dylan got into college.
He’s waiting for a full package to arrive in the mail, and he’s waiting to hear from the other colleges. And he needs to have everything in front of him before he decides. So he still doesn’t know what he’s going to do.
But Dylan got into a college.
The threat of community college is off the table. He now has a place that he can go, should he choose to do so, that will accept him with open arms. Dylan is going to actually go to college.
All the years of my boorish repetition: “You’ll never get into college if you don’t turn in your work.” Well, that’s out the window.
In fact, all of my threats are out the window. “You’ll never get into college if you _______________.” That’s null and void.
He got into college! He got into a pretty good college, too, with a stellar educational program. Students are generally happy there; they smile a lot.
Consistent smiling was a strong criteria when Dylan was choosing colleges. If the students looked miserable, Dylan didn’t want to go there.
So now, at least, Dylan has one choice of a place he can go. He has a place where he can study and grow and, most importantly, get away from Mom and Dad and live independently.
Looking back over the past few years, it is obvious that Dylan actually earned this opportunity. He may not have done everything – or even anything – the way I would have done it. But he certainly did get things done. He kept his GPA up above a 3.0, which is awesome given the severity of his ADHD and teenager-like behaviors. He got awesome SAT scores. And he has a varied and extensive resume of extracurriculars.
Dylan earned the right to go to college. And I am incredibly proud of him.