Iowamom23 posted:I agree that when kids leave for college they don't have the day to day reminders to get up, get moving, study, etc. But I disagree that the support network disappears. My daughter is at college an hour away, not an athlete. She texts two or three times a day with questions as complex as "I think I'm going to change my major" to "you know my white sweater. Is that a delicate?"
She still talks to teachers she had in high school, keeps in touch with family who have all supported her, and she's in a major where she HAS to have a 3.5 GPA in order to get into her program. She has pressures, but she knows where her support comes from and reaches out when she needs it.
My son is a 2018, and we're trying to help him build the same. I want him to feel comfortable asking me for support, but also to have friends and coaches who will still be there for him, even when they're possibly hundreds of miles away.
None of us, even the parents or adults, live our lives alone. Sure we have to get ourselves out of bed, to practice or to work, to battle through disappointments and set backs, but we all have friends, family, mentors and supporters we turn to when things get tough.
I'm grateful to have raised kids who will have that as well.
Just doesn't work that way in college athletics.