Painting the Stage Green

It is time to get the show up and running. College Girl is working like crazy....well like me?  Peter Pan is the children's play.  And there is so much to be done.  They just finished the first show of the season.  Now it is time to redo everything and make a stage from a french pub to a pirate ship.  That takes a lot of talent and a lot of paint.  Yes, paint.  They paint everything.  Nothing is as it seems in the theater.  Instead it is all faux designs to look like wood or bricks or marble or whatever you think it is.  CG even has paint clothes.  Yes outfits just for painting in.  You never know what you will have to paint or the contortions to get to the different pieces.

Well now it is much much much easier for her to do.  Why?  Well because Super Mom (yeah, that's me) sent her a magic Green Toad to help out.  No she did not have to kiss it to make the magic work.  Instead it is a great pivoting paint system.  So with her magic lil helper she did not have to twist and bend and contort.  Instead the 360-degree rotating brush head did it all for her.  A flip of the wrist and College Girl was zipping through painting chores.  I sent her a ergonomic handle along with a brush and a roller.  This was a great starter set.
Why is it called Green Toad?  Well because it is Green.  Not just in color but also that it is made of recyclable, compostable and biodegradable materials.  Pretty cool huh?  I do thank Green Toad for sending us a starter set to try out.  It has made it's way to the theater at the college now.  I know I will not be seeing it here, but College Girl says it is the hit of the play....well at least with the crew it is.

Oh and CG suggested that I post the following tips.  Being on our 4th year of being a college mom I have learned to pull back and let her do her own thing more.  But oh that first year I was right on top of her all the time. I wish I had thought of the following then and not had to learn these tips on my own.

5 Ways to Parent a Successful College Kid

By Larry and Meagan Johnson

Adapted from their new book, "Generations, Inc."

In a recent poll of freshman students, 1 out of 10 freshmen had parents who called them every day or every other day. Another survey found that 4 out of 10 college students (38%) had parents who had spoken with or attended meetings with their academic advisors. Almost a third (31%) had parents who had called professors to complain about a grade. One in 4 described their parents as "overly involved."

Yet 65% of these college kids still asked for their parents' advice on academic and career paths. That doesn't surprise us. We have studied this age group, and found that today's college-age kids are quite unique in their needs, preferences, and abilities. They are also closer to their parents than any other generation before them, and this presents interesting challenges for both kids and parents.

Here are some ways parents can help them, without hovering.

Learn to text.

If you want to talk to your college kid, text, don't phone. Or make an appointment by text to phone. Find out his or her class schedule so your text message isn't buzzing in his pocket during a lecture. This crop of college kids sleeps with their phone, so you might as well join in.

 

Guide, don't decide.

If your child is like most of his peers, he probably asked for your help in choosing classes, planning his schedule, and picking extracurricular activities. That's typical of this age group, which has closer ties to and better communication with parents than previous generations. The best way you can help a new college student is to ask leading questions, offer some suggestions, and leave the rest to him.

 

Let them fail.

A crucial part of the learning experience is failing. We're not talking about failing a class. We're talking about signing up too late for a class, or missing an appointment with the counselor. If your child was used to Mom or Dad being the organizer, alarm clock, and reminder, she is bound to make some mistakes. After she does, talk to her about it and ask her what she might do differently next time.

 

Resist your inner editor.

Many college kids these days send papers home for Mom to "edit." In her high school days, that might have been a euphemism for "rewriting." But now your kid is career bound, and writing for her won't benefit your child when she has to demonstrate writing skills at her first job. Use this time to coach, teach, and encourage your budding writer to seek help from the writing center and free tutors all colleges have these days.

 

Keep parenting.

Today's college kids aren't different from their predecessors in terms of partying and going crazy with their new found independence. There's nothing wrong with talking to your kid about doing his homework, and about partying, sex, and other risky activities. Kids at this age still want limits, and although you won't be there to oversee all their social activities, they want to know that they are still accountable to someone other than themselves.