My Daughter the College Graduate

Did you know that during the 2012–13 school year, colleges and universities are expected to award 937,000 associate’s degrees; 1.8 million bachelor's degrees; 756,000 master's degrees; and 174,700 doctor's degrees? (source: National Center for Education Statistics)

On Saturday, December 8, 2012, my daughter became a part of that statistic and she now joins millions of other graduates who will compete for jobs.

She also joins the ranks of being a "full-time mommy" to her six-year-old son. While she was away at school, I took on the role of primary caregiver. Jarod was barely two years old when she left so I have been responsible for raising him.

Now she is back home and there is a changing of the guard. Instead of being the ENFORCER, I am now the reinforcer who will do her best to sit back and allow my daughter to assume her rightful duty. I admit it won't be easy but since I was solely responsible for raising her, hopefully, she will be a chip off the old block.

Here's another college fast fact:

Less than half of teen mothers ever graduate from high school and fewer than 2 percent earn a college degree by age 30.

Thankfully, my daughter is not in that statistic.

The Road Map of Life for College Students

Ever since my daughter was little, I always wanted her to see the best that America has to offer. That's why we traveled a lot. As a baby boomer mom and journalist who's been there and done that, I figured if she is going to be one of the future leaders of our great nation, it would be in her best interest to learn more than what she reads in a text book.

Even now that she's in college I tell her not keep herself couped up in her dorm room--get out and explore the new town she's living in. It's not only an adventure, but you never know when you just might have an emergency that will call for you to respond and react in a hurry.

Case in point: A few weeks back when my college daughter called me, it was obvious she wasn't feeling well. Her voice was raspy and she was extremely congested. She went on to tell me she felt so bad one night, she couldn't even sleep. I told her she probably needed to see someone--like a doctor. She told me she didn't trust going to the campus clinic. I then suggested she go to the local hospital's ER--to which she replied, "I don't know where it is." Then she went on to explain how she called several of her NC A&T Aggie friends during the wee hours of the morning to see if they knew where the local ER was and none of them knew either.

I could see it if she had an excuse--like NO CAR---but she has a vehicle and certainly drives it to get to the Mall, to get her nails and eyebrows done, so why is it she doesn't know where the hospital is.

So I had to think...where did I fail as a baby boomer parent that would cause my daughter to lie in bed and suffer as opposed to taking initiative and finding it on her own.

Of course, she continues to prove she is my daughter and would have the last word in this story: "If you had just bought me a GPS Navigator, I wouldn't have had this problem."

My thought: Choose better friends who know WHERE they're going in life! Or maybe she should've gone to Ohio University!

New School Year Brings New Unusual Changes

The summer is officially over for my 19-year-old daughter who will begin her sophomore year at North Carolina A&T University on Monday. It's been quite a three months for her. She held down two summer jobs but still managed to spend some much needed and QUALITY mother-son time with her soon-to-be-three-year-old. It took a load off of me, I must admit.

Today, we sent her packing to college ---as we tagged along. She's staying in the same dorm (co-ed) she stayed in last year--but there is a change. She will have three roommates instead of two. She didn't like her last year roomie, causing them to part company before the school year was over.

Another change is her Resident Assistant---also known as the R.A. This is the person who oversees a section of the dorm to make sure students are abiding by the rules. But here is my question: Is NC A&T abiding by the rules by allowing a young man to police these young women? But here's the catch. This young man is actually a boy-turned-girl so are there any rules for that?

My daughter felt it was necessary to inform me of this fact and added that everyone knew his/her story so it wasn't a big deal.

My, oh my, how college has changed! I guess the good thing is, parents won't have to worry about him chasing after their daughters. He'll probably just look to them for fashion tips.