CJ has had an emotional growth spurt.  He has declared a major.  His laundry is not scattered all over the floor.  He has a planner.  He knows the bus system.  He has procured silent auction items.  He has invited me to an acapella concert.  He even has a job on campus (okay, it's as a flag football ref, but his earnings will pay for his over-the-top Halloween costume.)  And most importantly, he has friends who are already looking for angel investors for their start-ups.  Maybe it is time to relax.

On the other hand, our younger son GC (Great Conversationalist) has only JUST signed up for the SAT question of the day, 2.5 full months later than most of his friends.  That means they have completed 75 additional practice questions, enough to boost their final scores by at least 50 points.  And as much as I nag GC, he has not yet come close to finding a cure for malaria, and so far has no plans to shoot a documentary about the homeless kids he works with. 

Even worse, the parents in his grade all attended a college coffee while I was dining in farm-to-table restaurants with my sophomore. They undoubtedly picked up some helpful hints that they will not share with me, because who would?  It's now each neurotic parent to him or herself, hogging tutors, finding unusual activities, hiring all sorts of waitlist counselors and interview coaches. 

Yes, It's all starting up again – the tours, the test prep, the critical decisions about honors classes. And it all seems to be happening earlier than last time and already seems more stressful….unless we decided to move to Idaho, or suddenly uncover evidence that my great-grandfather was part Cherokee.