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Cool cats at college take on new meaning
(by Christine Thome - July 22, 2009)
BEYOND MY CONTROL, BY CHRISTINE THOME
Cool cats at college take on new meaning
Youth is wasted on the young.
Our oldest daughter will be senior in high school this year, and the word college has suddenly become the large elephant in the middle of the room. We know we must address it, but, until we absolutely have to, everyone tiptoes around it, hoping we can take care of it before it leaves a really big mess.
"Where do you want to go to school? What do you want to study?" I ask her at least once a week, trying to budge this elephant topic just a little.
"I told you, I have no idea!" she always cries.
Out of our four children, our oldest daughter is probably the most academic and the one who could get into any college of her choice, if she would just make a choice. But since she can't or won't, I have made it slightly easier for her by telling her that she can have her choice of any one of Ohio's 13 public universities.
Last weekend, I hoped to move this elephant from the living room to the front hallway by announcing that she and I were taking a college road trip to visit several of Ohio's beautiful campuses. Our first stop was mine and my husband's alma mater -- Miami University.
I hadn't been back to the campus since I graduated 20 years ago, but it didn't take long for all the wonderful memories to come rushing back. As I entered the dorm where John and I met, I swear I could smell microwave popcorn burning, hear U2 blaring out the windows and see our friends in different states of studying, sleeping and partying.
It was at this moment that I realized I didn't truly appreciate my four years of college. Don't get me wrong, I had plenty of fun, but I was always looking ahead and anxious to get on with my life. I wanted a career, a husband, a family, a house to call my own, and those four years were my conduit to getting what I wanted.
But now that I had all that, I suddenly pined for the simpler life. For a number of reasons, I now believe that college is wasted on the young and should really be experienced by people in their 40s and 50s.
For one, you don't have to worry about the Freshman 15. By the time you're in your midlife, you've already had several kids, and everything has shifted and moved, turning the Freshman 15 into the Family 50. Plus, nobody really wants to see us naked now anyway.
If you're lucky, you still have at least half of a healthy liver left and can take advantage of all the cheap and plentiful drink nights with absolutely no need to worry about obtaining a fake ID.
When we were at school, cafeteria food was something to fear. Now, college students have international offerings, vegetarian stands, smoothies, fresh sandwiches and full-course meals offered to them 24 hours a day. And the best part is you don't have to cook or clean up.
Undecided would no longer be a problem, because, by the time we're in our midlife, we kind of know what we want to be when we grow up. You can put aside that accounting degree you earned 25 years ago and put your love of gardening to good use by becoming a horticulturist.
"So what do you think?" I asked as we pulled away from the campus.
"I liked it," she said. "I can definitely see myself there, but do you think they'd let me bring my cat? I don't know how I'm going survive being away from kitty for that long."
I couldn't believe what I just heard. She's not worried about being away from her family for an extended time or fearful about deciding on a major. She's not wondering who her roommate may be or where she'll live. She's not even worried about a heavy course load and getting good grades.
No, this child is worried about her cat.
Youth is definitely wasted on the young.
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