It is Hard to Make Firm Plans With Middle Schoolers

Heather is progressively becoming a better friend to Chloe. Before the most recent Middle School dance this past Friday, Stephanie invited Chloe, Heather and just one other girl to put on makeup. Heather was also a Patty’s sleepover birthday party in December and Chloe’s Halloween party. But just a little over two weeks ago, a casual observer might have concluded that Chloe would never want to speak with Heather ever again.

Important but Not Central

With Philip, a whole bunch of things are happening at once. In addition to his junior year of high school being filled with all sorts of important near-year-end tests and assignments, he needs to think about his lacrosse team, Prom, his driving test, the SATs, visiting colleges and completing the volunteer hours he will need to officially log with the school in order to graduate.

On College and College Visit Road Trips

A year ago, during Philip’s sophomore year, I took Philip on a tour of the local state university that is less than a half hour’s drive from our home. It has a beautiful campus, and has a respected biotechnology program which is Philip’s intended field of study. But the visit had only a small impact. This month, we have taken Philip to visit two schools a more substantial drive away. Between age and distance, we observed a much greater impact.