Decisions: I Don’t Wanna Stay Here!

Sara loves life. At age 12 she thought she would be a teacher. She lived in a small town with a worldwide music program, a small but well-known program to study music, especially the Classics. Would she want to attend the small university in her town? Her brother was already a junior at the larger university thirty miles away. Probably not.

The university in her town encourages local students to go there at a discount. She told her parents that she wanted to attend the school where her brother attended. “All my friends are going to stay here and attend Apity University,” (the local, but small school). John, her dad, concluded she would go to the local university, as the music program would be best for her, saying, “You sing so beautifully and looked so pretty in the concerts in the past right here!”

Looking at the difference in tuition and the short distance to drive, Sara decided to buck her parents. She sobbed, complained and pleaded with her mother to convince her father to visit where she wanted to enroll. When they visited the out-of-town university, her eyes lit up with happiness. Her older brother would graduate there in another year with a degree in technology. She would not change her mind. She visited the tall buildings, fascinated by their various technical career opportunities.

Decision time arrived. Where would she find the money for the far more costly program at the big university? Sara remained stalwart in her thinking that she wanted a degree in Secondary Education while tackling special courses for teaching computer classes. She told her parents of the many options for technical work. Her part-time job near the larger university gave her the opportunity to find value combining education and OS for kids.

“Mom, I’ve always dreamed of walking through that campus, looking at the trees, the benches and meeting new people. I don’t want to live in this godforsaken, boring piece of crap town.” Her mother’s response, “Oh, Sara, this is a beautiful, little town. Think about the courthouse, think about learning the music of Mozart and Chopin. And we could afford it so much better.”

Money was an issue. Steven, first at college, loved the state university which caused consternation, but Steve worked part-time for an engineering company. He had a ball cap with the crest of the university and kept his tennis team’s awards on his dresser thirty miles from home. Somehow, he finagled several ideas to allow the two adult children to share the car he had (he often stayed with his girlfriend anyway).

But how would Sara, beautiful, blond Sara, find money to go? Her mother repeatedly told her, “You are shallow, crazy, and ridiculous.”

Both the mom and dad realized the two kids would never want to return to a music program. The kids arranged the trips home for food and items they needed as the big university’s prices were higher. It worked for them! They both graduated from there. Steve graduated cum laude and found a job in Chicago. Sara found a fabulous resale shop which worked well for the parties she would attend, plus completed a major in secondary education and a minor in OS applications.

While the growing kids went against their parents’ choices, they succeeded in the classrooms. They were happy and found the money for their needs. The old Ford they shared stayed with Sara when Steven left for Chicago for his new job. The parents learned the kids felt it would work and stood by their decisions.

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