Settling In

When Carson decided that North Idaho College would be where he would start his college career, he thought that meant he could live at home. His father and I gently, but firmly, told him he needed some away-from-home experience and, therefore, would be living in the dorms. Carson was not very happy with this decision. Of our two children, he is the more "homebody" of the two.

The first few weeks were a little rough on him. Our boy, who is a bit resistant to change, had several challenges to overcome. He was learning to live with three other guys who are vastly different from him. He is a bit stubborn and opinionated so learning to be accommodate several roommates has been a stretch. I wish I could report that this has been wildly successful, but no.

He had to eat cafeteria food. This is a boy who had consumed hot lunch at school maybe once or twice in his entire school career. And now he had no choice but to eat "hot lunch" (and breakfast and dinner) every day. This challenge is still a challenge as he feels that the variety of food offered is limited and sometimes not very palatable. However, it does make him appreciate my cooking a little bit more.

NIC has a nationally-ranked wrestling team and that made it an attractive prospect for Carson. Unfortunately, Carson wasn't recruited by NIC so he had to try and make the team as a walk-on. The space available at the 125-lb weight class was limited and the number of prospective wrestlers were many. Those pre-season weeks were filled with sleepless nights, nausea, canker sores (from stress), and just plain old stress and anxiety. Carson and his dad talked on an almost daily basis. When he was home on the weekends, he slept and slept. But Carson's heart was set on wrestling for NIC and he poured everything he had into practice. His coaches noticed and he was granted a spot on the team. I can't put into words how proud of him we are (and relieved).

Making the wrestling team was a huge burden lifted from Carson. Living in the dorms has proved to be a good thing as he has made friends that he wouldn't have otherwise made. What were once almost daily phone calls have turned into an occassional text. He is finding his way and settling in. It makes my heart happy to see that he is adjusting, and did I mention, making friends? If there is one thing that I was worried about was him making friends. Carson doesn't enjoy going to activities where he doesn't know anyone and won't put himself in those types of situations. But he must have taken some risks to meet some new people since he brought home several new friends for Sunday dinner this past week. That was super fun to see happen.

I love to see the growth in our children.