About a year ago, I stood where you stand now. I guess you too might be eagerly anticipating your daughter’s adventure yet simultaneously are filled with many questions.
Macy, my senior about to leave for college in a few months, has been home now longer than she was away (she now measures time compared to the months she was gone in southern Africa). And when I think back on how it felt knowing she was going away for so long and what she was about to embark on, we did not doubt that we made the right decision, but we did have, albeit small, concerns.
We questioned if she would make friends, how much she might miss her family, would she fundamentally be okay. I wondered if she would miss me, how much I would miss her, and about the void her absence would leave, the adjustments to an empty nest, and yes, even the quality of the food!
I can only guess you might have some of the same questions and of course, some unique ones that are particular to your family. We all come to this moment with our realities. However, I believe there are some common threads about being part of the TTS family that can add some perspective that might prove helpful.
This is an opportunity like no other: We are parents who know the value of providing an amazing learning experience. I vividly recall the night before Macy and I were to part ways, huddled over college essays on a hotel bed. As I poured over the academic materials provided by TTS, I was astounded by the curriculum’s depth, interdisciplinary approach, and overall thoughtfulness. Then to know that this was just part of the content she would be exposed to. There would be placed-based experiential learning to tie it all together. To say the least, I was blown away. I envied the learning journey she was about to embark on and felt reassured knowing she’d be part of something truly exceptional – an opportunity like no other.
Trust: We had complete trust that Macy was in good hands with professionals, who knew how to keep her and the other kids safe and provide them all the amazing experiences they hoped for. We had attended the webinars, asked questions, and felt good about the adults she would live with (and the behind-the-scenes staff) for the next 3.5 months. We held fast to our trust in TTS. They know what they are doing!
Prioritizing: Prioritizing this life experience, academic exploration and learning, and growth for our child, was exactly that—a prioritization. We chose, as you are, to prioritize the importance of showing our child there are other ways to learn, to be with people, to experience life, to ask questions, be bold, and open their eyes to a world beyond a screen—a priority, and sacrifice maybe, to show them that the world is theirs for the taking. We would prioritize this commitment again in a heartbeat.
Macy has changed and benefited from her TTS experience in innumerable ways that I find it difficult to articulate eloquently here. But, I can share that she is different – more comfortable with herself, more confident and reflective and, obvious as it is, more worldly. She is appreciative in a way that, as a mother, I can only explain as her perspective has shifted – she gets it. She has made relationships that will last a lifetime with an amazing group of young women. And I do think we have yet to truly realize the benefit of her spending a semester with 10 other women, on Big Blue, traveling, adventuring, and learning through Southern Africa.
But I do know if you are sad, missing your child, and not sure if you made the right decision – or if you know you made the right decision but still miss them terribly – my advice is to remember. Remember these three threads: that this experience is like no other; the TTS adults who will support your child are remarkable; and that your choice to prioritize changing your child’s trajectory is bar none worth it.
And, to end on one last piece of advice, remember when those moments of communication arrive (the much-anticipated phone call, letter, or blog post) – hold tight, pay attention – it goes fast.
Enjoy your journey!
Cathy Aikman, Parent TTS39