The Down Range Forum
Member Section => Down Range Cafe => Topic started by: blackwolfe on May 04, 2009, 12:24:29 PM
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Just wanted to share how proud of my daughters I am with my Down Range family.
My oldest daughter graduated from Hope College in Holland, MI yesterday. She did well in school and made the Dean's list. She has a degree in English and would like to get into editing, publishing, and writing. ( I could use her help with spelling and grammer.) She did a short internship with a small regional magazine and had some of her work published mostly in a support roll. There were over 700 graduates, most from Michigan and the Midwest, but also from many other states and some foreign countries. Hope College is an excellent Christian college. A dipolma from Hope is earned, not given. It is not cheap, but they do a good job helping to find scholarships and other funds for students. Hope also does their best to have students graduate in 4 years as opposed to many schools that seem to make it difficult to get out in 4 years. Hope College is a conservative college without the elitist liberal professorship of so many schools now. It is located next to downtown Holland, MI and is an easy campus and community to get around in with a Dutch heritage. I highly recommend it to anyone as does my daughter.
With today's world and economy, I don't envy any of this years graduates. It's going to be tough for them.
My younger daughter ran in a Marathon in Lincoln, NE yesterday. This is her third marathon and she did well. She finished well in her age group and overall and qualified for the Boston Marathon. The division she competes in is pretty tough. She had also qualified for Boston in her first marathon about a year and a half ago. She has been unable to run the Boston marathon yet as the event is held during finals week for the college she attends. She is a great athlete that participated in cross country and track in high school. Cross country is a sport that I think is great for any high school student. At least in this area the schools don't cut the teams. The team my daughter ran on in high school was much like the Down Range family here. There may be a few minor squabbles, but a lot of comradery and support for one another. It didn't matter wheather you were the star of the team or the last to cross the finish line 10 minutes after the person before you. Your friends and team mates were there for you. My younger daughter is studying to become a health and physical education teacher.
Thank you for letting me sing the praises of my daughters. My daughters lost their mom unexectedly about 9 years ago when they were in middle school. My wife gave them a excellent start in life. In spite of me they have done well for having lost their mother at such a vulnerable time in their young lives. I had a lot of help from family and friends and couln't have done nearly as well with out that help for which I am truely greatful. My daughters could have easily choosen a different path in life given the circumstances, but they didn't. My daughters have a lot to be thankful for and a lot to be proud of. I know I do. I am so proud of my daughters, I know ther mother is too.
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Thanks for sharing...you should be proud.
Richard
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Hey Blackwolfe congratulations! You have every right to brag on your girls. They sound like wonderful young women. I, too am proud of my children. They are successful and they're good people, and they are by far the greatest thing I leave on this earth. Our children are the greatest joy there is in life, so enjoy.
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Sounds like you did a great job in a tough situation. As a professor, I have to say that graduation day was always the best day of the year. You not only got to see the kids you'd taught in two or three or even four classes (if they were majors) walk across the stage, but you also got to meet the families. I always felt proud when one of "my" students, someone I'd helped struggle through a class, or who I'd gotten to know well enough to buy a beer for or invite over for a home made dinner and discussion, graduated. Meeting the parents was also very humbling. You do the best job you can every day because you love the work, but its still a job. For them though, they have put their blood, sweat, tears and hopes into this kid, and seeing them get that diploma was like crossing the finish line. They were so proud, that it made my eyes water along with theirs, because I'd helped them make this possible.
FQ13 Who also reccomends another mid-western Christian college Earlham (home of the fighting Quakers) it is obviously very liberal, but even the socialist club starts its meetings with a moment of silence. It has 1200 students and averages about 15 a class for upper division courses. The cool thing is that it hires teachers, not researchers, so you don't get promoted based on publication, but on how well you do in the clasroom. The difference in terms of how much contact the students get with their profs as a result makes a world of difference. At UT, I had three hundred kids and would call on "you in the red hat, no the other guy in the red hat." At Earlham, I could get out my cell and wake someone up if they weren't there at the start of an 8:30 class (which started promptly at 8:45 as we were on Earlham People's Time ::). )
FQ13
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Blackwolfe, you have good reason to be proud!! It's a tribute to you and your late wife. They are a reflection of you both.
Great job!!
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Thank you all for the kind words. It's been very tough at times and they weren't or aren't always the best and we have had some troubled and trying times. At one time, I thought the hardest thing in the world was telling my daughters that Mom was going to die. I was wrong. The hardest thing was single parenting. For the most part I don't understand why someone whould choose to be a single parent. I can under stand it when a parent leaves a bad situation like abuse or addiction, but I've known some who have left because they were tired of their spouse or some other self centered reasons that seemed trivial to me and not in the best interest of their chidren.
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BW, Be loud and proud, I am just reading your stuff and it is powerful. Congratulations, and Please pass this on to the girls, I'm proud and don't even know them. My Mom was a single parent for half of my stay at home life, I was the oldest, she worked 2 jobs and died early at 60, most crushing thing I've gone through so far, so your girls are bucking up and being forward thinkers, I have no doubt due to your influence and encouragement. I ran cross country in junior and high school, great sport, ( should have kept it up ) so am proud of the runner.
So sorry for the loss of your wife, nearly lost mine 3 1/2 years ago due to West Nile Virus, she caught encephalitis and meningitis, and has brain damage, but is functional and alive, with more med bills than I can conceive of paying, and now I have to live longer than I expected, to make sure she's OK.
I am proud of you for being that parent and obviously doing a great job. ;D ;D ;D
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In my female humble opinion... There is nothing in the whole world better than a good dad/ parent who truly loves and enjoys being a parent.
I know you are proud of your girls.. but I will tell you something........
I am really proud of YOU!
To lose 'your other half"..and have to deal with that loss plus be strong and continue on parenting ( having now to go that extra 2 miles) and end up with an outlook like yours..and successful confident daughters.......
well....................
once again.. Congratulations on a job well done. :-*
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Three things a parent should do.
1) Tell your children you love them on a regular basis.
2) Remind them regularly that they are good at .......(pick something and no "but's")
3) Tell them you are proud of them.
Make sure your daughters know that you bragged on them
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Three things a parent should do.
1) Tell your children you love them on a regular basis.
2) Remind them regularly that they are good at .......(pick something and no "but's")
3) Tell them you are proud of them.
Make sure your daughters know that you bragged on them
Excellent advice,I only wish more people followed it. Lord knows the mental health profession would be halfway out of business if they did.
FQ13
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As the father of 2 boys, one of whom I raised in his teens pretty much alone (he went to his Mom's occasionally), and the pseudo-grandfather to an almost 3-year old girl, I can imagine only part of what you have done for your girls. You ain't done yet (you are always a father) but so far the results indicate you done good! ;D
What a blessing, blackwolfe. And by all means, tell them what you told us.
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That's great. Obviously you did a fine job in a terrible situation. Congratulations on a job well done.
The choice of college minus elitist liberals is most impressive...even more so in that she stuck with it and excelled. I hope my eldest son can do so well and, even moreso, that he will find a wife with such strong family genes as those exhibited by your family.
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Well Done Blackwolfe!!!
Above all the American Way is taking what is given you and making the most of it. Your daughters took a good foundation mixed with tragedy and excelled. I'd like to think that you also had a part in it, so ... WELL DONE Blackwolfe!
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BW,
I too am a single Dad (divorce). It ain't easy but if ya do good the rewards are far above the time spent and problems solved.
Good job with your girls!
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Just got around to this thread, but oh boy what a great read!
Blackwolfe, all I can say is outstanding young women you have there. Sounds like they are setting fine examples that others should follow.
Be proud of your children (as I am of mine) and tell them often.