Taking Charlie to College

About a month ago, we took Charlie off to college at Indiana University, my alma mater.  As you can see from the above photo, it seems he was predestined to attend Indiana.  Not only did I go to IU, but so did his dad, almost all of his aunts and uncles, many of his cousins, his paternal grandparents, and many other close and distant relatives.  In reality, however, he had several choices and, although I tried very hard to remain objective during the decision making process, I can now unapologetically say that he obviously chose the best one.

I had imagined the day we would leave him at college for several years.  Frankly, from the moment he was born, it had occurred to me that this day would come.  When he was a baby, though, it didn't occur to me that it would come so fast.  It was the blink of an eye.

I had imagined that I would be sobbing as I left him behind happily mingling with new friends, just as on his first day of  preschool . . . and kindergarten . . . and first grade . . .

But, it didn't happen like I imagined it.  Although I did leave him behind happily mingling with new friends . . .

. . . I didn't shed a tear and haven't yet.

This is not to say that I don't miss him.  I do.  But, taking him to IU was like taking him home.  I grew up in Southern Indiana not far from Bloomington and spent many years of my life in Bloomington and nearby.  So, while I'm not there with him, he is close to our family and the place I will always consider "home."

Moreover, IU recognized Charlie's accomplishments and potential in journalism and made him part of the Ernie Pyle Scholars Program. Although the scholarship that accompanied this honors program made IU more attractive to out-of-staters like us, what really attracted Charlie to IU (aside from Bloomington being just awesome) is that IU showed interest in having him there.  They seemed to really want him.  Whether it was sincere of feigned, it was effective.

But, most important, he is having a fabulous time!  When did college become so much fun?  That is not to say I didn't have fun in college; I did.  But, it was a different kind of fun.  Charlie is taking classes that are really fun.  Here's how he described it on his Facebook status:

[I have an] awesome schedule. German is still in review of what I know, Ernie Pyle Scholars' Seminar is super fun journalism stuff, my English comp class is about zombies, my Collins class is really easy and looks like fun, and in my elective class I'm giving a presentation about George Lucas's influences for Star Wars tomorrow. This semester is going to be sweet.

And, that's another thing: how awesome is it that parents now get to communicate with their kids often and instantaneously by text, Facebook, and Skype, not to mention good-old-fashioned cell phones?

The long and the short of it is that I know Charlie is in the right place at the right time.  He has a bright future ahead of him . . . as does his sister who will be off in another blink of the eye . . .