College: A Horrendous First Year

**Originally written July, 2012**

It's frustrating. You pay through the nose for your kids to "grow" through education. Instead, all the grows this the size of your daughter's a** (hey- mine did, too!), her social circle, and her deep appreciation for the damned Red Solo Cup.

You remember Spring Break, don't you? Well, after a stern talk we thought she'd do an about face. Not so. {sigh}

While she's not flunking out, her grades are nothing to write home about. She is capable of so much more. Her grades are definitely not good enough to keep her in the special program she's been enrolled in. She told us not to worry. She had been quite ill during the Spring semester and she was going to pull it around during summer session.

Fine, we believe in her. We support her. We pay the big bucks to keep her at her out-of-state university for the summer.

One week into summer session and she is sick. Very sick. Antibiotics needed and prescribed. Great! No, not great. She phones. She's itchy. She phones again. She's red. She emails Hubs a photo of herself. She's having an allergic reaction to the antibiotic.

She is all alone, incredibly sick and without help. Her recovery will not be quick. I'm thinking she will have to withdraw from Summer session classes. Part of me just wants to go, pack her up, and bring her home.

Let's just call it a year and file this under "life experiences".