Imagine – Looking up from your schoolwork and hearing, “THOSE kids aren’t going to college.”
My middle school son rushed home and asked me urgently, “Mom, I’m going to college, Right??” My. Heart. Sank.
America, this is your Mother speaking. YOU can go to college if you want to!
From that day forward WE started planning. I told his teacher, “Maybe he will go and maybe he won’t, but it’s NOT up to you.”
My son got to work. He had a vision for himself.
Of course, this wasn’t the first time someone cast doubt on my son’s potential…
“Your son has pervasive developmental delays. I’m very sorry.” A doctor’s assessment of MY little boy. His preschool teacher affirmed this, and added, “He’s ALWAYS going to be like this.”
America, this is your Mother speaking. Speak LIFE in to the heart of your child – He’s listening.
We got help for our son – speech therapy, occupational therapy, gymnastics…
Our son got to work. He went mainstream in Middle School. He SURVIVED Biology. Genes, chromosomes….and PUNNET squares? Nailed it!
And still later we were told, “He can go to our auto repair program.”
Now, I think we can all agree a good mechanic is lifesaver! Problem here…my son never said he wanted to be a mechanic.
America, this is your Mother speaking. NO child has to be what he doesn’t want to be. Especially when he’s willing to work for his dreams.
Our son PULLED A 3.5 GPA while playing football – earning top academic honors at the state and regional levels. And we still have his admission letters to college!
America, we have roughly 5,300 colleges in this country. I believe all children should be taught, and treated as, if they have aspirations to go…And given room to make it happen, if they want to. I want that for your child, your child, and EVERY child.
Carol Muleta is the 2019 DC Mother of the Year. Carol is the mother of wonderful twin sons who sparked her curiosity about child development and her passion for parenting. What started as a search for a parenting philosophy to steady herself as she wrangled busy toddlers became a journey toward a new calling – parent education. Today, she is a certified parent educator, leading parenting classes and presenting community talks. Carol co-founded a parent education company where she presents parenting programs and consults with families to support the healthy growth and development of their children. Carol hosts a radio show, Parenting 411, where she shares “information parents need from sources they can trust”. In her downtime, Carol always enjoyed following her sons’ athletic pursuits including Tae Kwon Do and basketball, which she made time to learn herself. Carol has been happily married for 24 years and lives in the DC Metro area with her husband and sons who are now freshmen in college. Read more about Carol here…
