Natalie's Journey

At the end of last school year, I got a crazy idea.  I wanted to instill in Natalie that she had a future, one that was more than just of places that she didn't really understand, but one that she was familiar with so that she would, hopefully, feel confident and comfortable with it.  I wanted her to get to know what some of her options were and how to make choices now that would influence her chances of getting to those places. 

We started out by going to the middle school she will most likely attend. We told about the size and amount of kids at the school, as well as the new opportunities and challenges she will face there.

Then, I took her to a high school that is put of a charter school. Last month we had toured a typical high school, so she was able to see the difference in size and we talked about the pros and cons of going to each one. We also discussed how the choices she made in middle school will affect the options she will have in high school. She said she thought going to a small high school might be best but that she is definitely interested in taking up tennis as a school sport if she can.

Next, we took a road trip, and picked up my dad, in San Jose. We went to San Jose State to see how it compared to the high school. We noted the distance from home as well as the size and age of the people. She commented that the people at college were adults. The amount of buildings was a bit overwhelming and it felt like it's own city. We stopped at a nearby pizza pallor for lunch.

Finally, we went back to my dad's work, and he showed us his trucking company and the different kind of jobs and described the kind of skill sets needed for them. She and I talked about how the jobs that required college degrees were in pleasant environments. It was definitely a lot to take in. The main message she got was that college was where people learned how to do something professionally so they could live comfortably.

On the way home, we wanted to stop at the temple in Oakland, but it was too late in the day. We decided to go to the temple on a separate day but talked about why and when people go to that temple. She said going on a mission sounded great! What was super cute was when Kylie heard we were headed to the temple and she got so excited. Her favorite song right now is "I Love to See the Temple". We are going to have to go there soon!

Both girls fell asleep on the way home. I was exhausted too. I hope to take Natalie back to those places are at least, to see places where her future could take her so that she knows where she is going and doesn't just hear the words - college, mission, temple, or even high school - and ever wonder what they mean or to be scared of what they are. I love sharing things with Natalie so that she can be prepared and grow into a strong woman.