My daughter is very early in the college process, as she will be entering high school in the fall. However, I'm already feeling anxious just reading these posts on "average excellent" kids and those kids who have straight A's, excellent EC's, and still aren't getting accepted to the colleges where they applied.
My daughter is your standard over-achieving, smart and sweet kid. Even in the eighth grade, she is taking advanced classes and bringing home hours and hours of homework. She also spends many hours on her EC's. I find that I am helping her out a lot more than my mother helped me at that age, just because my daughter has such a small amount of free time, and is usually exhausted during that free time. I don't want to coddle her, but I don't want her to crack from exhaustion. I know that next year in high school, things will get even busier and she will have virtually no free time.
I have a neighbor whose daughter was very successful in high school both academically and sports-wise. My neighbor required nothing of the daughter around the house...she did her daughter's laundry, packed her lunch, cleaned her room - everything. I used to be amazed and a bit judgemental that my neighbor did all of that for her daughter, but now I can see how and why she did it. Her daughter had no spare time. And to boot, her daughter got a full ride and is playing her sport at a great college, so I guess my neighbor's "helicopter parent" method worked out for her.
I'd like to strike a balance with my daughter in high school. I really want her to learn important life skills (cleaning, laundry, etc.) and chip in around our house...but I also want her to focus on her grades and EC's to maximize her future success at college admissions, especially since getting into college is SO competitive now. Do any of you have success stories on how you were able to strike this balance - having your child be an excellent student and also learn/do "everyday stuff" at home? Or is it better to do as my neighbor did and just be the concierge of my child's life, and hope that it all works out for college admissions?
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