My Daughter's Last Final...

First of all I apologize for being missing in action the past couple of days. This has been an unusually busy time and I was helping my brother in-law move…packing and unpacking, with my husband. I was too tired to write anything coherent. Hopefully, I can get back into the groove.

Today is my younger daughter’ last final. I have been worried about her graduation since she started this extraordinarily difficult, medical technology program. Her high school had not prepared her well for college. I still recall her first day and the way she walked into the house pale and overwhelmed by the work. It was a big adjustment and it had to be made. She had to learn time management and study skills practically over night. The course work was challenging, her biology professor and his tests impossible. I was into high level worrying. Her first biology test was a disaster. We later learned so was everyone’s test, and he has to curve his exams. I started to ask my daughter about considering a plan B incase this didn’t work out. She told me she was prepared to do whatever it took to succeed in this program. I told her that I would support her in  any and every way I could to help her. I called the director of her program and explained my concerns. She told me my daughter has to do three things: study every day, ask the professor when she has a problem and go to tutoring if she has difficulty with any subject. So I told my daughter what it would take to succeed.

From that moment on, just a month or so into college, my daughter took the bull by the horns and did what she needed to do. She studied nights and weekends, she talked to professors and she went to tutoring when needed. She went to summer school to take classes to lighten her workload during the semester. One February she was walking around with the flu, studying for exams. I thought she had a bad cold. Finally I took her to the doctor and she was diagnosed, given medicine and told to stay home. She had to go in the next day for a three hour science lab. She didn’t want to have to make it up. So she went in that Friday afternoon. She rested Saturday, Sunday and Monday. She only went to her most important classes that week. She failed her math test, the one she took the day I took her to the doctor. She went in to explain to her professor that she had the flu that day. The professor was very nice and said if she did well on the next test she would drop this grade and count the other one twice. She kept her promise. 

I kept worrying that all this work was impossible. I knew her senior year was coming. That is the year they do rotations. Two eight hour days of school, with 8 to 9 classes, and three eight hour days at the hospital. Tests every Monday and Tuesday to study for all weekend. No vacation time to speak of or days off to catch up on rest. Four long years of nearly nothing but work. 

Now she is down to her last final today. I am relieved for her. I can’t wait till she can relax her brain and just not have to think about next week’s tests. She still have to apply for her license and prepare for the licensing exam. Those things will take a few weeks to set up, so she won’t have too much pressure on her for a while. 

Graduation is this coming Sunday, Mother’s Day! She will be graduating with her Bachelor’s Degree in Clinical Laboratory Science with honors. She is a member of the honor society. I could not be more proud of her. I saw all the work it took to get here. Sometimes it had me in tears, She put in such long hours, she never complained, never took days off. She gave it 100% the entire time and excelled as one of the top three in her graduating major.

I can’t wait until she comes home today! I am going to smother her with hugs and kisses. I am going to spoil her for days on end. I am going to let her sleep! And soon we will go out and get one of her graduation presents…a new apple laptop computer! Then, at some future date, she will get a new car, just like her sister did. Hopefully, she will get her Medical Technologist license soon and then a job at a place where she likes the people and enjoys working. My baby is all grown up and I love her so much.