adulting

The Only Way
by

The Only Way

Photo by James Wheeler on Pexels.com
Two roads diverged ahead of me
to avoid the most sour
or find the most sweet,
I looked both ways before choosing my street.

By choosing one, I'd neglect the other
In fact, there may be thousands, 
I'd never discover.
Yet standing still brought me even less.

Preferring somewhere to nowhere
I chose left which I judged a-right
would bring me to
the best fruit in sight

After just a few steps
I stubbed my toe
This wasn't the way
it was supposed to go!

I glanced back
the way I came
it seemed every other way
had less shame.

I saw my friends go whizzing by
while my progress was labored and slow
I didn't even really know
if I was headed where I wanted to go.

But, to quit now, I'd lose
the promising fruit.
So making the best of it,
I kept moving each foot.

I felt heavier and heavier;
it seemed a great weight.
"Surely there's more," I thought
"This can't be my fate."

"I might be flying
if I let go of this sack.
These things are just
holding me back."

So I turned again
and looked where I'd been.
Every road looked better
than the one I was in.

"If only", "should have", 
"would have" and "never"
mocked me from every other
possible golden path.

Just when I thought,
"I might as well quit"
and decided to rub my feet
while I'd sit,

I looked at my fruit 
that had come at such cost
All I worked for, protected, and carried
was not lost.

I saw now that no one could
take them from me
I had gathered them 
on the way to the tree.

I looked around again
and saw it was true.
You can't travel any road
without a bump or two. 

Those paths that had all looked 
so brilliant and smooth
had hazards and costs
and benefits, too.

I needed to come this way!
I'd do it again.
I'm glad I'm here.
I'll move on and then..

I'll keep choosing a street
and I'll keep moving on
it is the only way
to who I will become.

DSH
Preparing a child for High School or for Technical College?
by

Preparing a child for High School or for Technical College?

Just a heads up, parents, that there are after high school options (and during high school options) that you may not know about that could be amazing opportunities for your child.

Dual enrollment, concurrent enrollment, AP classes, OJT, early release, and work experience with job coaching to name a few. When our first child started high school, we found out that tryouts had already occurred. We were late before the school year had even begun.

Your son or daughter could also graduate early or graduate with a technical skill certification.

As much as we would like our children to advocate for themselves and find out about these things in time, it has not been realistic to expect in my experience. How do you know what to ask about if you don’t even know what it is called?

This year my son is graduating, and we are looking into technical schools. We did not realize how competitive they are to get into. Many programs only have 20 students per class. So, if your son or daughter wants or even may want to attend, you have to apply immediately when application acceptance opens.

For a January start, you have to apply on September 1st. September 1st is not when to get the paperwork prepared, it is when to upload it all and turn it in immediately. August start is even more competitive and may have a registration more than four months ahead.

So, plan to advocate for your child and help them apply and meet deadlines well in advance of what you might think necessary. Transitioning to adult education and life is a long process. Just like applying for college, students can apply, be accepted, and still not attend. So, there is little risk in applying.

I’m wishing you luck.

DSH

8/2/22