Wednesday, January 11, 2012

It's coming...

My son is a junior in high school and before I know it he will - hopefully - be heading off to college.  Mama is not financially prepared.  The Dad probably thinks Mama should pay for everything not covered by financial aid or scholarships.  Mama is still paying her own student loans and will be until she dies.

I am getting myself worked up and I know it isn't helpful but we just spent an hour online looking at scholarships and nothing stood out as something my son would apply for.  We will keep looking and working on that angle.  And I will try not to get too stressed out about it now.  Luckily, the schools my son is interested in attending are some of the least expensive in the state but he would have to live away from home.  Unless Mama become a helicopter and moves to wherever he goes to school.  Mama is not doing that.  Mama does know how to let go. Mama is not insane.  Mama needs to stop referring to herself as Mama.

The point is, that it is coming.  College is coming up fast.  And while trying to get my son through school with decent grades, I also have to work on getting him prepared for what happens after high school.  Parenting is exhausting. 


4 comments:

just call me jo said...

It is. The part you're going through is financially hard. The next stage where they are out on their own and supposedly grown with their own kids is hard too. Then you can only watch and worry. They don't want your advice any more--but they would take money if we had any to offer (which we don't.) It's hard to get enough money for school now. Yikes!

Cynthia said...

Good news! I spent a year on the scholarship review committee for my University. I have a pretty good idea what they look for and who they fund. We should talk. If there's anything Jen and I know how to do, it's how to package a person (or in Jen's case, political candidates).

And we're not prepared either. Greg just went back to school himself and our TWINS are just 7 years away from college. Ack!

mCat said...

GAH!! I don't envy where you are at right now. I do know that with my boys, their school counselor was a wealth of knowledge about scholarships and grants that we could qualify for. I hear that there are thousands of dollars that go unused every year in grants because kids don't know that their there

Sorta Southern Single Mom said...

Oh (HUGS) Mama :-) It's so hard to let go. Especially when you've been responsible for most of the upbringing!

I had it written into my divorce agreement that my ex has to put a certain amount of money each month into a 529 for the children, because I knew if I didn't, when the time came he wouldn't give them a red cent!