I have two sons: age 19 and age 17. When they were babies, I was faced with a certain category of worry: Death Worry: Crib Death, Falling On Head Death, Food Allergy Death, etc....But we progressed, they grew, and those worries went by the wayside.
Next came toddlerhood, and a new set of worries took the place of the old: Run Into Street Worry, Kidnapped by Stranger Worry, Growing Properly Worry...and again, as they grew, those worries subsided, soon to be replaced by school-age worry: Will They Make Friends worry, Are They Learning In School worry, Will They Get Good Grades So They Can Get Into a Good College worry, Will They Make the Team worry, and on and on.
Now, I am faced with one and one almost adult child, and I find that as they school-age worries fade, I am once again beseiged by worry: worry of a new kind, worry that may seize me into perpetuity.
For my younger son: Will he get into college, and have the future of his dreams worry?
But for my older son, my worry goes much deeper and is much more serious. I think my older son has a disease that affects many of his generation. That disease is the "I want it all, I want it now, and I don't want to have to wait for it." He was the type of student who didn't do well in school. We dealt with that. We shelled out over $20,000 (in loans) to a private art school last year because were were relieved that he didn't join the Marines, instead, he decided ART was his life.
And why not? He always excelled at art, he took many art classes in high school and did very well at them. And with a 2.1 GPA and a 1200 SAT, there was no way he was getting into ordinary college. That was just out of the question. So, we happily sent him off to LCAD.
Right off the bat, he switched majors from Illustration to Game Art. "No problem," we thought - Game Art makes sense - there is more employment there, and he is good at drawing those "things".
But 1/2 way through the year, he switched to his third major: Graphic Art. Again, we didn't blink, thinking that this was an even more employable choice, and bravo that he is exploring all of his options.
BUT 1/2 way through the second semester, bolstered by good grades in his acting and screen writing class, he had an epiphany: "I am meant for great things. I am meant to be an actor/writer/producer/director in Hollywood and make Mega Bucks and be a GAZILLIONAIRE!"
GULP!
Well, he approached his school and asked if they could create a new major: one that would fit in with his new-found direction. They politely informed him that they couldn't guarantee that such a path could or would be acredited.
We told him under no uncertain terms were we going to be paying for another year of private school if he were just going to change his mind again. We told him that if he wanted to take a year or two, work his ass off at a junior college, get good grades, then get into a good Film School, we would be all behind him. Surprisingly, he easily agreed that dropping out of art school was the right thing. He enrolled at our local City College, and we enjoyed a few blissful weeks of summer.
Then came a new epiphany (after visiting New York): "I must live in New York! I must go to Film School there! All my creativity is in New York!" And now, City College isn't good enough, and he seems to be down in the dumps.
BUT: is he looking for a job?
No!
Why?
Because he feels that he would hate his bosses and hate the customers and therefore, doesn't want to put himself in that negative environment.
And for those wondering, the answer is NO! No, we are not giving him money, NO, we are not buying him a car. He has NOTHING. But he is STILL not motivated to DO anything!!
So what is my new worry???
I AM WORRIED THAT MY SON WILL NEVER HAVE A REAL LIFE!!!
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