Day 1:
In the car on the way to campus.
Buggy: I wouldn't have made it here if it wasn't for you.
Me: Here-where? College?
Buggy: No. I wouldn't even have graduated if it wasn't for you.
Me: *snort* Whatever. You were totally on track with your grades.
Buggy: No, seriously. I was thinking about dropping out...like BigBro.
Me: That is sheer insanity. You are far too smart for that.
During the Activities Fair - at one of the fraternity booths.
Buggy: (listening to GreekBoy blather on about his fraternity)
Me: tuned out. Inner Monologue: "My brother was Greek. I worked in Student Affairs. There's very little you can tell me I don't know."
GreekBoy: "...blah blah...35 brothers you can call....blah blah...social events.... But don't worry Mom, we don't serve alcohol. You won't have to worry about that if he joins our chapter."
silence
Me: (realizing that I am the "Mom" he was talking to...I then do the math and realize it will take FAR too much time to explain Buggy's & my non-blood-relationship. I decide to roll with it.) That's good to hear. Real good.
I glance at Buggy. He just grins.
Leaving for a tour of the engineering building.
Buggy: Miss. What is a Liberal Arts major?
Me: It's like English or Music...something like that.
Buggy: *snort* That's GAY!!
Me: HEY. I majored in English!!
Buggy: *softer snort & eyeroll* It's still gay.
Me: (smacking him on his cabeza) Ease up, Mister. Some of us may not be science-brains...but we already HAVE our degrees!
Buggy: (grin)
Me: (Shivering upon entering ScienceLand) Wow. I hope I don't accidentally learn something. It's my day off. I'm not supposed to have to learn on my day off. That would be tragic.
Buggy: I guess...
Me: Of course, I don't know that it's possible. Considering my LIBERAL ARTS degree and all.
Buggy: (big o' buggygrin)
In one of the labs, listening to a professor talk.
Buggy: See, Miss. That's what I was telling you about. That's the part that...blah blah blah.
Me: Ummhmmm. (attempting to nod intelligently while reveling in how jazzed he was about the project)
GeekyWhiteBoy: Oh yeah! And then the other part....blah blah blah.
Buggy: YEAH! And ....
Buggy & GWB proceed to have a conversation where, although I am aware they were speaking English, I couldn't tell you word one of what they were talking about.
It was so cute!! Buggy found somebody who could speak his native language: Geek!!
Day 2
Registering for classes:
Buggy: Man! I knew I bombed that test...but I thought I did better than that!
Me: What'd your advisor say? Do you have to take the remedial math class?
Buggy: Nah, he said I could study and retake the test in a few weeks. THEN he'll decide which math class to put me in.
Me: Okay. Then you know what you need to do.
Buggy: I shoulda studied for that test....
Me: Yeah, you should've. But you know good and well you wouldn't have...even if you had remembered you had to take that test.
Buggy: But..you could've reminded me...
Me: Come on now. You know as well as I do what you would have said if I would've reminded you. You wanna hear what you said? Cuz I had this conversation with you in my head -- here's how it went:
I said: Hey. Don't forget you have to take that math test at orientation.
You said: Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan! I don't wanna take a test!!
I said: But you're gonna be sorry if you don't study for it...
You said: Nawwwwwwwww....I'm not studying for no test...I'm trying to get graduation over with...can't you let me enjoy graduation?? I don't wanna think about a stupid test.
I said: But...
You said: Miss. Seriously.
I said: Okay.
Me: (Looking at the super-sheepish look on Buggy's face.) How'd I do? Did I nail it?
Buggy: Yeah. Too well. Mannn, this makes me think I'm not going to be able to do this. All those other kids got higher scores than I did.
Me: Yeah, and a year ago you were planning on going to the Marines. You weren't even thinking about college. It was OCTOBER before you started thinking in terms of college. These kids have been living and breathing this since birth. You're going to be fine. Take a breath....and figure out what your plan is. I have no doubt that you can do it. You're not dumb.
Buggy: But you tell me I am sometimes!
Me: Yeah, but I'm totally joking!! I have had dumb kids in my classes...do you think I actually tell them they're dumb? Nooooooo....I'd crush their little souls. Trust me, it's only the smart kids that I tell that to.
Buggy: But still. Do you think I should change my major?
Me: To something easier? No way in hell. I know you. If you major in something easy, you're going to get EXTRAbored and decide it's not worth your time. Am I right?
Buggy: Yeah.
Me: Why do you do gymnastics? Because it's easy? No...because it was hard at the beginning and as you learn it, it still challenges you. Right?
Buggy: yeah
Me: And you know how I know you're going to be okay? Because that thing that makes me want to hit you with a car sometimes -- not my car, because I don't want the body damage but with someone else's car....is what's gotten you this far and will get you through to college graduation. You know what that is?
Buggy: (questionface)
Me: The fact that you're so frickin' stubborn. That's what's going to make the difference. You don't know how to give up. Am I right?
Buggy: yeah, you're right.
Me: As usual! Now. Can we get outta here? I'm starving!
In the car on the way to campus.
Buggy: I wouldn't have made it here if it wasn't for you.
Me: Here-where? College?
Buggy: No. I wouldn't even have graduated if it wasn't for you.
Me: *snort* Whatever. You were totally on track with your grades.
Buggy: No, seriously. I was thinking about dropping out...like BigBro.
Me: That is sheer insanity. You are far too smart for that.
During the Activities Fair - at one of the fraternity booths.
Buggy: (listening to GreekBoy blather on about his fraternity)
Me: tuned out. Inner Monologue: "My brother was Greek. I worked in Student Affairs. There's very little you can tell me I don't know."
GreekBoy: "...blah blah...35 brothers you can call....blah blah...social events.... But don't worry Mom, we don't serve alcohol. You won't have to worry about that if he joins our chapter."
silence
Me: (realizing that I am the "Mom" he was talking to...I then do the math and realize it will take FAR too much time to explain Buggy's & my non-blood-relationship. I decide to roll with it.) That's good to hear. Real good.
I glance at Buggy. He just grins.
Leaving for a tour of the engineering building.
Buggy: Miss. What is a Liberal Arts major?
Me: It's like English or Music...something like that.
Buggy: *snort* That's GAY!!
Me: HEY. I majored in English!!
Buggy: *softer snort & eyeroll* It's still gay.
Me: (smacking him on his cabeza) Ease up, Mister. Some of us may not be science-brains...but we already HAVE our degrees!
Buggy: (grin)
Me: (Shivering upon entering ScienceLand) Wow. I hope I don't accidentally learn something. It's my day off. I'm not supposed to have to learn on my day off. That would be tragic.
Buggy: I guess...
Me: Of course, I don't know that it's possible. Considering my LIBERAL ARTS degree and all.
Buggy: (big o' buggygrin)
In one of the labs, listening to a professor talk.
Buggy: See, Miss. That's what I was telling you about. That's the part that...blah blah blah.
Me: Ummhmmm. (attempting to nod intelligently while reveling in how jazzed he was about the project)
GeekyWhiteBoy: Oh yeah! And then the other part....blah blah blah.
Buggy: YEAH! And ....
Buggy & GWB proceed to have a conversation where, although I am aware they were speaking English, I couldn't tell you word one of what they were talking about.
It was so cute!! Buggy found somebody who could speak his native language: Geek!!
Day 2
Registering for classes:
Buggy: Man! I knew I bombed that test...but I thought I did better than that!
Me: What'd your advisor say? Do you have to take the remedial math class?
Buggy: Nah, he said I could study and retake the test in a few weeks. THEN he'll decide which math class to put me in.
Me: Okay. Then you know what you need to do.
Buggy: I shoulda studied for that test....
Me: Yeah, you should've. But you know good and well you wouldn't have...even if you had remembered you had to take that test.
Buggy: But..you could've reminded me...
Me: Come on now. You know as well as I do what you would have said if I would've reminded you. You wanna hear what you said? Cuz I had this conversation with you in my head -- here's how it went:
I said: Hey. Don't forget you have to take that math test at orientation.
You said: Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan! I don't wanna take a test!!
I said: But you're gonna be sorry if you don't study for it...
You said: Nawwwwwwwww....I'm not studying for no test...I'm trying to get graduation over with...can't you let me enjoy graduation?? I don't wanna think about a stupid test.
I said: But...
You said: Miss. Seriously.
I said: Okay.
Me: (Looking at the super-sheepish look on Buggy's face.) How'd I do? Did I nail it?
Buggy: Yeah. Too well. Mannn, this makes me think I'm not going to be able to do this. All those other kids got higher scores than I did.
Me: Yeah, and a year ago you were planning on going to the Marines. You weren't even thinking about college. It was OCTOBER before you started thinking in terms of college. These kids have been living and breathing this since birth. You're going to be fine. Take a breath....and figure out what your plan is. I have no doubt that you can do it. You're not dumb.
Buggy: But you tell me I am sometimes!
Me: Yeah, but I'm totally joking!! I have had dumb kids in my classes...do you think I actually tell them they're dumb? Nooooooo....I'd crush their little souls. Trust me, it's only the smart kids that I tell that to.
Buggy: But still. Do you think I should change my major?
Me: To something easier? No way in hell. I know you. If you major in something easy, you're going to get EXTRAbored and decide it's not worth your time. Am I right?
Buggy: Yeah.
Me: Why do you do gymnastics? Because it's easy? No...because it was hard at the beginning and as you learn it, it still challenges you. Right?
Buggy: yeah
Me: And you know how I know you're going to be okay? Because that thing that makes me want to hit you with a car sometimes -- not my car, because I don't want the body damage but with someone else's car....is what's gotten you this far and will get you through to college graduation. You know what that is?
Buggy: (questionface)
Me: The fact that you're so frickin' stubborn. That's what's going to make the difference. You don't know how to give up. Am I right?
Buggy: yeah, you're right.
Me: As usual! Now. Can we get outta here? I'm starving!