Clare,
The school in Pittsburgh is a prep school…a few of my oldest daughter's college friends went there. It has a good reputation and, most importantly, he wants to go there.
Tomorrow we are touring a Mennonite school that is about an hour away, which has 5 day boarding option too. I really like the philosophy of this one and it is in keeping with my Quaker ideals. It is also logistically much more do-able.
But he will see both, apply to both, and then make a decision about which he will attend. The Pittsburgh one has an entrance exam that he will take while we are out there- he may not even be invited to attend if he does poorly on that. He is very smart, but doesn't handle pressure real well. I've had him take one practice test, which frustrated him, until I pointed out that the same test is given all the way through the high school for admission- so there should be questions he just doesn't understand. They are looking for the student's ceiling. He still has to compose his own application for that school- he's been working on answering the questions- making notes on a legal pad- but has to actually write the sentences. That is a challenge for him. I'm sure we will be coaching him on that this weekend.
We got several great letters from our older son this week. He still seems to be appreciating the journey and learning more and more about himself. He hasn't complained yet- which makes me wonder if he's still working on the superficial stuff. His therapist said it is usually during the 2 - 3 week that they kind of hit rock bottom and then start to do the real work of change. I love hearing from him. It makes me feel more confident that this really was the right choice and action.
So today's reading was about disciplining children. It actually created a pyramid that had discipline as the very small triangle at the top of the pyramid. Underneath that was teaching- all discipline should be an extension of previous teachings. Underneath that was the quality of the parent-child relationship. Under that was the quality of the parental relationship. And finally, the bottom of the pyramid was our own relationship with ourself or world view. The article basically said that if there is a problem look to the layer underneath for the solution. It's given me a lot to think about.
I can't wait to hear about your travels over the next few weeks. I hope that you meet some interesting people along the way. I know you will enjoy your time with your son's family.
I am disturbed that you are trying such harsh words/phrases on regarding yourself. You are a good, kind, loving person who has worked very hard for everything that you have. Be kind.
Love and Light,
Maggie
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