FRESHMEN IN COLLEGE ARE REALLY STILL IN HIGH SCHOOL MODE

Recently, I've had the opportunity to spend time with lots of college kids - specifically freshmen, and most of them are great.  I see them in the morning when they'd prefer to not to be up at the crack of dawn, and I've spent some time with them when they're super hungry in the evening.  It doesn't matter if I have a headache, I smile any time of the day.

As much as I'd love to spill the beans on the name of this college, I'm contractually obligated to keep my mouth shut for once in my life, but no one said I couldn't blog about it!

If you think a kid who's a freshman has miraculously grown up now that he or she has left home for the first time, you'd be sadly mistaken, except in a few instances.  Most are still checking out young men and giggling, the men are fixated on young girls' butts, and I'm still surprised that very few are talking about anything remotely college related.

The group that is absolutely the worst when it comes to manners and respect to their elders has to be the football and basketball teams.  Now let me say that this doesn't apply to all colleges, certainly, but as I've been up close and personal with these kids on weekly basis, something is definitely a little off.

Sports stars tend to travel as a pack, and believe me, when this happens, they are much more difficult to reign in, but if you catch one them alone, you'd actually see a different person!

"John" is a gorgeous Social Services major who wants to work with kids, God bless him, and he has a clear career path, but once he sits with 2 or more people, he becomes "Johnny", that little kid who jumped on the couch when you told him not to, and pretends like you are the alien.

Surely, these kids cleaned up after themselves when they ate at home, so why in the world are they throwing paper from straws over to the next table, or using peas to make a trail on the floor, expecting someone else to be their maids?  The dining hall is open until 8pm, so if they arrive at 6:30pm, why is there a need to risk suspension from the team by trying to pile extra food in their pockets which hasn't been paid for?

As I tried to figure out this bad behavior, I realized that these kids feel a sense of entitlement because they are gifted, true, but more because women and men want to be their friends and they often get special privileges and perks that we can never imagine.  I don't think this gives a right for rudeness or dishonesty, and allowing the behavior to continue sends a mixed message to our young people who are preparing for adulthood.

My next pet peeve - college students who walk across the street all the time and NEVER look at other cars that are driving toward them.  What the heck?!

How come students can't keep track of their ID Card which allows all types of privileges and cool stuff?  If you forget this, there is no access into the halls of light or whatever.

Kids, do you know that you should probably wear clothing that doesn't totally expose everything we may or may not want to know about you?

Parents have paid a great deal of money to send their children to school, so why do kids feel it's okay to use their meal plan to give access for dining privileges to all of their friends?  I can see 1 or 2 times, but what are they going to do when the money from mom and dad runs out, and you're no longer able to eat in the dining hall?  Will these people still be your friends?

Ice cream cones are for ice cream, not guided missiles.

Don't get me wrong, some of these Freshman are perfectly well-mannered and fun to speak with, but it only takes one bad apple to spoil the bunch.

Do you know what your child is really doing in college?  You may be truly surprised...

Hugs...