Jr. gets the same advice from me for pretty much everything this year. Given Jr. is in Jr. year, it is by far the most critical from a college preparation stand point.
First she decided to have the Arangetram this year. I told her not to do it but if she did, it better be good and it better not compromise school.
Second, she decided to go for her driving permit in summer. I told her not to do it but if she did, it better be good and it better not compromise school.
Third, she decided to take Marching band this year in school so she can do band and marching band to get PE credits. I told her not to do it but if she did, it better be good and it better not compromise school.
She has a tendency to try multiple things, not do well on multiple things and point fingers at other activities.
The Arangetram is done and the fallout of that w.r.t. exams is still being felt in the house. She did do a good job of it.
She has stopped driving temporarily and will resume in a month. While she did drive me around, she was a good and careful driver. Thank god she doesn't have mom's driving gene.
The marching band is still going on and it is one big time sink. There is three hours plus of practice twice a week and a game almost every week where it is another 4-5 hours. She likes it and is happy doing it, but it might be the one thing that helps Jr. point fingers at for grade misses.
In any case, I can only watch her dress up and do marching band and enjoy her enjoying it. On top of all the games and practice there was a high school marching band expo where all high schools had their bands display the routines. I got to see this from the front row. It was great to see all the kids put in so much effort into this.
Jr.'s high school music teacher was hesitant at first when he got the marching band back again last year after a long gap, but this is definitely a plus. The kids seem to thoroughly enjoy it and this builds a team spirit among the kids and it teaches them co-ordination within the instruments coupled with co-ordination with other members while moving around.
Have been watching them practice since summer and they have improved significantly as a group in just 3 months!
Here is Jr. in her marching band uniform..
and a video of the Monta Vista school marching band at the expo..
At this rate we don't know were all this is going. We know she is doing a bunch of things and she is happy doing them.
Given I never went through any of this in high school and grew up in a different place in a different time, all this just makes me happy and scared simultaneously.
Hope she uses what she learns here to some value in real life and more than anything, hope she does go to college and have a career that makes her happy.
