I have a senior! There’s nothing more that makes me feel old than my son passing a milestone. “I can’t be old enough to have a kid that’s had (Major Milestone)!” He’s 17. Which means he’s turned 16 and gotten a driver’s license. He recently got a letter in the mail from the state that says he’s reached the final tier of the graduated licensing program and has no restrictions on his license. He’ll get a new “regular” one that doesn’t indicate the graduated licensing program, when he turns 18 in about seven months. For several years he had his nose to the grindstone and became an Eagle Scout in 2022, at just 15 years old. Not long ago, we measured him and he’s finally taller than me, though I still don’t see how that’s possible.
He’s growing into a kind, loving, hardworking young man. And a high school senior. He’s what’s called a “rising senior” which is that time between school years where technically you’ve finished one grade but haven’t started the next. There’s a lot in store for this rising senior this summer. He’ll be assisting at his school’s first every Broadcast Journalism summer camp in June. In July, he’ll be heading to New Mexico with his Boy Scout troop for a 12-day trek through the backcountry of Philmont Scout Ranch. There will probably be a sprinkle of college visits somewhere during that time, too.
Once school starts again, it will be all about the application process, writing essays, and crossing his fingers and holding his breath that he gets in at his top pick schools. We’ll be talking about costs, the benefits of going to the schools closer to home so we can save some money by him living at home, or the dorm accommodations he’ll need if he’s going to school further away.
He’s done so much and gone so far, and I couldn’t be more proud. The avalanche is upon us, from the words of some experienced parents who have gone through the college application process and the high stress of a high school senior year.
But why does he have to grow up so fast?
Have you had a high school senior, or remember the stress of your own senior year? How did you handle it? Let’s talk on Facebook!
The picture is my young man as a little boy, starting his first day of Kindergarten.