The past few months have been filled with emails, phone calls, school visits and many talks about college. The choices are many but when you add in the sports aspect, it becomes an entirely new process. Not only does the student have to want the school, meet their requirements and be accepted but they also have to have the coach want them. Then comes the question of whether they can afford it. As a parent, I will never say I wished I had taken my degree and gone and made a ton of money doing something different than what I did. I love my job and it’s allowed me to be at home with the kids but it also didn’t allow for us to save for their college education. Let me tell you, it really hurts to not be able to provide that. A LOT. It feels like our actions and choices are limiting their possibilities. Where we live, so many kids don’t have to think twice about where they want to go to school, they apply to 10 places and their folks sign the check.

Here we are and as exciting as it is to see the interest and possibilities and seeing doors and pathways open up, it’s also really hard for this mama to be seeing the days I have w my kids at this daily life with them getting fewer and fewer. I will 100% support wherever life takes them, whether it’s across the country or an hour away, but I’d love for the perfect fit place to be closer. We shall see. Thankful for technology where I can live stream games that are far from home.

I’m not sure about everyone else but for me there seems to be such urgency about everything college related and it’s stressing me out. The FAFSA forms opened up on Oct 1 and here we are Oct 3 working on it and it feels like we are so far behind already. Carlos has applied (and been accepted!) to a couple of school already but now we wait to see what aid he gets and if it’s even in the cards. Even more stressful! I’m usually not one to be running this revved up. I’m all trying to have Carlos in the driver’s seat (as much as possible) as this is ultimately his decision and be there to support and guide and I think that adds more stress to me as well. It’s a huge decision and one he has to make but I also don’t want to see him 4 year down the line with $80k in debt. Finding the balance is so hard.

Off to help with the FAFSA forms here…wish me luck and any tips on making this process easier!