Over spring break, our college sophomore son took advantage of having his parents and grandparents at the dinner table to show us something he learned this semester in school and was very proud of.  A No Regrets Parenting moment, we  hoped, was about to occur. He retrieved a spray can of Reddy Whip from the frig, squirted a dollop on his right hand, moved close to his grandparents so they wouldn’t miss the moment, and then slapped his right forearm with his left hand, sending the whipped cream high into the air. And then he caught it all in his mouth. Not a drop spilled, no cream in the eyes, a perfect landing.

And for this, we pay about $50K in tuition each year.

We might have had some residual Reddy Whip concerns about college priorities and life goals when we visited campus this week to share the holidays with our son and daughter. But any doubts about what our kids were really learning, and how they were maturing, were quickly dispelled. The whipped cream boy and his sister mobilized a holiday dinner for 70 friends, ordering all the food and wine, balancing the budget, and leading an inspiring and goose-bumpy program. Afterwards, they and their friends cleaned up the frat house to look better than it did before the dinner started; mind you this is not a big compliment, but it’s something. No whipped cream or other stupid college tricks to blemish the magical evening. On the contrary, our kids’ college friends helped cook and clean, repaired the oven just in time to warm the food, managed to get the bathroom water flowing again, and rearranged the monstrously heavy frat furniture several times to accommodate the surprisingly large turn-out.

Sure, as parents we hope our kids focus on their classes and homework, do well on their tests, gain important and worldly knowledge, graduate (in 4 years), find work or graduate school after graduation, and go on to lead happy and successful lives because of their high-priced college educations. But, for right now, knowing that there’s more going on than flying whipped cream is enough. At least for an evening, we watched our kids become young adults before our eyes.

Looking back at their childhoods, and looking forward to their futures, we are blessed to have no regrets.

www.noregretsparenting.com

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *