Over Spring Break last week, I had the pleasure of visiting my alma mater, Central Michigan University (Fire Up Chips!) with my 16-year-old daughter. See it was her college visit.
Until last summer, I had not been on campus since 1991 when I graduated! The campus was unrecognizable to me, quite literally: I could not locate the dorms I stayed in or barely any buildings where I attended classes. We visited again at this time in order to experience it with the student body there. 24,000 students attend for undergraduate, so I wanted to make sure this was still my daughter’s top choice!
This is a big school for sure; however, it has this very small school feel in terms of class size and the whole vibe. It’s quite a little “city” of its own, really. There is no reason to even go off of campus for weeks unless you want to. Everything is free to students: all of the services, Division 1 sporting events, fitness center, pool/hot tub/saunas, with the exception of two things… bowling is $2 for shoe rental and $1 a game, and the annual “big name concert” is $3. Seriously… $3!
While we were there, we met with the Director of the Social Work program, as my daughter is interested in this field of study. It was quite literally a wonderful, exhilarating day. Seeing my old school through her eyes was surreal. She looked at me and said “I can totally see myself here.” And I agree. It was such a great tour, and I could not find anything I didn’t like about it.
When I look back on my own life, it feels like I was ‘just in college;’ yet, at the same time, it feels like ‘it was a 100 years ago!’ Haha!!
I just cannot believe CMU is her top choice, and there is a very good chance she will go there in a year!! I am so proud of the person she has become, and her ability to look at her options and use her strengths to do so. She is a lot like me in many ways, but has a courage that I don’t remember possessing at that age. I don’t know if I could have chosen to go to school 700 miles away from my parents. I am not sure when she separated from us, her parents, emotionally… I guess its been a gradual process. But it is completely the normal thing that is supposed to happen with teenagers: separation and individuation.
I know she is ready, and I am ready for her to leave (on some days). ;-) To say her childhood has flown by is an understatement. It has been a whisper or a blink these past almost 17 years. When I look at her, I see everything: the pregnancy, the baby, the toddler, the 8-year old, the 12-year old, the moment she passed me in height, the bad bike fall, the great moment on stage in the school play, the love…. I remember all the love. This daughter of mine is almost a woman. She will most likely be attending my school. She will help people in her career–just like her momma. She will love and create a family and the cycle of life will continue.
What a beautiful thing to witness.
What a beautiful life.
