She's all graduated! Well worth the crack-of-dawn awakening and the subsequent blowing up of balloons until dizzy.
The hall looked lovely, the graduates were proud, and my daughter's valedictorian speech was well-received. Well-written too, so much so that a prof approached her afterwards with a list of trade magazines to which she was strongly urged to submit her writing.
Well, then. Another thing for her life to-do list. A list which has a decent number of ticks on it already:
She's got herself a part-time job at Home Depot (tick!) which could end up being 30 hours a week if she needs that many. She has a short list of massage clients already (tick!), which she'll begin treating once she's written her licensing exams next week and received her all-important Piece of Paper in the mail. She'll be seeing them at the chiropractor's clinic in which she's renting a room (tick). She wrote the contract she and the chiropractor signed (tick!), covering fiscal and tangible obligations and responsibilities -- who pays for/provides what, etc.
For the past four years, she has found her own accommodation; chosen her courses; paid her own rent and bills; balanced school, work, and social life. Tick, tick, tick, and tick. Now she's starting her own business. She's twenty-two, she's graduated -- and she's an adult.
My work here is not done. I am her mother until one of us leaves the planet (please God, let it be me first, many years from now). I'm not done, but I'm working in an as-needed consultant capacity, not a supervisory one.
Which is, of course, as it should be. Tick!
Congratulations! I know she didn't get to be a competent, hardworking young adult without a good amount influence from her mother!
Posted by: Molly | October 31, 2008 at 05:00 PM
It's always gratifying to see such fine results. It sounds like she really has a handle on things!
I like your description of yourself as "consultant as needed" now, rather than "supervisor." I've been in that role for well over a year now, and it does have some perks.
Posted by: Florinda | October 31, 2008 at 05:27 PM
Molly - Thanks. She's a great kid, er, young woman, and I'd like to take credit for at least some of it!
Florinda - I've always said the goal of parenting is to work yourself out of the job. (I think I learned that from my mother!) I rather enjoy being a consultant parent. Very gratifying.
Posted by: Ilona | November 02, 2008 at 08:01 PM