She's off to college!

You probably thought I was talking about Sunshine, our college sophomore. I'm actually talking about Belle, our high school sophomore/college freshman.  A few weeks ago she told us she was heading out to take the TSI, a placement test for Texas community colleges.

Let me back up...

We encourage our kids to follow their own paths. Not everybody wants college. Not everybody who wants college is ready at the same time. Everybody has their own path. It is exciting to us, as parents, to see the path unfold in front of our children. When Belle's path turned toward community college, we were excited for her. But we have rules. The number one rule is that we are entirely hands off in this process.  I'm all in for the college prep, but I'm pretty much all out when it comes to procedures, timelines, applications, etc. Since Belle is a minor, there are a few things we have to sign, giving her permission to take classes. That's all we do. Otherwise, I've been sitting back and watching her navigate this process.  (Side note: she navigated the heck out of it!)

Her first day is today. She was up early (as usual) and ready to go before she needed to leave (as usual). We all woke up to see her off. This is a pretty big deal for Belle. She's taken plenty of classes (gymnastics, dance, science at the local nature preserve, art, etc), but this is the FIRST time she's ever been enrolled in an accredited anything. Other than preschool, she's never attended a brick & mortar school.

She's nervous. Maybe a bit overwhelmed. But she's doing it, and doing it all on her own. Autonomy is important to her. More importantly, she needs to have this experience before flying the nest in a couple of years. The time will speed by, and we're working to give her as many life experiences as possible.

We know you can do this, Belle! You're off to great places...



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