The Month of Learning Dangerously

As the mother of a 17-year-old athlete, I've been incredibly lucky to have avoided sports injuries. A few days ago, my luck ran out.

Smiles from the E.R.

She blocked the shot. Yay! She broke her wrist. Ouch!

This has been a challenging month for Alex. Calculus is living up to its reputation as hell on earth. College applications and essays are taxing. Her golf game has been unpredictable. Missing the rest of her final season in both soccer and golf was unexpected and unwelcome news. She is deeply disappointed.

But she is handling it.

Actually, she's dealing with everything much better than I expected. Certainly better than I would have at her age. It's surprising to see how well the kid is managing this whirlwind senior year so far. While it's hard to watch my daughter face more stress, anxiety, sadness and hurdles, every experience adds new coping skills to her arsenal. I'm coming to the realization that she will indeed be ready for college next year.

Yay! Ouch!