Parents and college orientation

[FSUZeta]

speaking of parents attending orientation, hubby and i just got back from son's orientation. school does a good job of keeping parents busy(and actually imparts valuable information at the same time) and out of their kids and the administrations hair.

as seasoned parents,husband and i were sitting in the food court, having coffee and reading the newspaper, during the time that the incoming freshmen were meeting with their advisors and signing up for classes. there was another dad at the table next to ours. he sat by himself for about an hour after which he was joined by his wife. wife bustles up to the table, red faced and hair askew, positively fuming. she tells husband that she has been told that the kids will sign up by themselves for their classes-that there are advisors and counselors at the ready to help them, should they need it. she then goes on to say that she "guesses that they(she and her husband) are just there to pay the bills", and asks "how does the school expect the kids to choose their classes without the guidance of their parents?the kids don't know what they are doing!" husband pats her on the arm and assures her that they can always re-register their son on his computer at the office. after a few more heated rants about not being able to choose their childs class, they amble off. my husband and i give each other knowing looks.

later as we are helping our son collect his overnight things from the dorm room he stayed in, i spy the unfortunate son of those parents and point him out to our son. our son just shakes his head and agrees with us that it is a shame that those parents don't trust their child enough to let him sign up for his own classes. poor kid-we hope he doesn't know what his parents tried to do.