I have truly been blessed with loving parents and three older brothers who are also very loving and caring, understanding, and yes even occasionally funny. I have also been blessed to have a wonderful husband, 21 years, and three sons who teach me to grow as a wife and mom. In addition, my in-laws, who have treated me, like a daughter for which I am thankful. Both my parents and my husband’s parents have been married for 58 years and these individuals have been incredible in teaching me what works and what doesn’t they have shared their knowledge of the meaning of family.

I believe with all my heart that family is the most important unit in the planet! In today’s society we have all sorts of families, blended families, and single parents, children born either under our heart or in our heart through adoptions. When we think of family and home, we go back to thoughts of simple things such as peace, feelings of security, safety and the love of the small things!

It is with great pleasure that I am beginning my first of many articles entitled Lexy’s Corner, all about family. Every time I write you I want to talk about relevant family issues, My desire for Lexy’s Corner is to be true, Honest and uplifting, and to write about things that are informative, upbeat and fun! Let’s talk about family issues… parent to parent. Let’s discuss traditions, strengths of the family and what children need, we all know the most important things children need are love, security and of course discipline. But today, let’s discuss preparing for you child to go off to collage.

This year my oldest son graduating high school and preparing for collage. Education is important and it is something no one can ever take away from you! Aside from the fact, it is a necessity to earn a good living. My son has been fortunate to receive a great education form pre-school through high school and picking and applying to the right schools has become an adventure! In my youth life seemed so much easier, as I applied to one collage, was accepted and the whole process was effortless. Life is different today and for those with children who will send them off to college, you know what eh competition is tough!

My First bit of advice is when your child starts looking at schools and narrowing down their options purchase one big box and keep everything in one place. You cannot imagine how much mail arrives daily from schools! The application process alone is more then you can ever image even with guidance counselors and academic coaches available. The entire application process is very intense, especially on high school seniors looking for a bright future. There are so many smart students out there competing for the schools. While each child is different and the pressure is on to achieve that best SAT scores and maintain a high GPA, the entire family and close friends seem to get involved with the process.

As parents, the most important thing we can do is to listen to our children, especially when it comes to shaping their own future, Your son or daughter might not know what they want to be when they “grow up”, but believe it or not they have a strong sense of their strengths and weaknesses. We must train our children to grow and encourage then to magnify their gifts. Give them their wings to fly.

After discussing and reviewing, the options available for your child carefully pick and choose the schools that are the best fit. Apply for scholarships, there are many available! My son applied to seven geographic area and then focusing with concentration in the area of study in Communications, which is his passion! College has to be a place they choose to take. Everything must be taken into consideration, from campus life to reside options to total cost involved. College is a major investment! My entire family and close friends became involved in the process of this collage seeking adventure! When my son’s first acceptance letter arrived, my youngest son who is six year old was so full of joy that he was also running around our home jumping up and down. Now my next tidbit is never open your son or daughter’s mail! The only letter I opened was the only rejection letter and believe me as a parent you hurt twice as much because you hurt for your children as well. There is so much competition there days and each school has only so many openings.

My son is going way to college and my biggest concern is how much I am going to miss him. It was recommended tome that I read Letting Go ~ a parent’s guide to understanding the college years by Coburn Treeger.

Until next time, remember all the places and feelings and happiness that bind your family with love are something that you take with you no matter how far you go.

With much gratitude,

Lexy Capp