Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Giving a Whole New Meaning to College Prep

Saturday evening marked our first attendance at a Stanford Football game this season.   Before witnessing the Cardinal whoop Wake Forest's butts 68-24, Travis and I strolled into the Track Shop to see if they had any cute maternity clothes (because as much as I LOVE the Stanford t-shirt Lauren H. gifted me two years ago, it is just not fitting well over my newly formed bump!). 

After hunting high and low and finding nothing to cover a pregnant lady's bump, we did discover these...the very first pair of booties that will ever touch Abigail's tiny newborn baby feet...


Why Stanford?  Well, there's a LOT of Stanford pride in our family - Travis attended the University where he played 4 years of Soccer and 1 of Football...my brother went there and played Volleyball...my Sister-in-Law went there as well...and I worked there at the Stanford Store in Tresidder for two summers and "dated" one of my brother's Volleyball teammates (which together make my Stanford experience almost as legit as theirs...right?).  

Anyway, I have a feeling these booties are only the beginning of Abby's introduction to Stanford University.  Are we breeding a future Stanford student?  It's possible.  Are we going to be crazy parents who push our children to attend Universities they don't want to?  Absolutely not. 

That being said, we will be encouraging Abby (and her future siblings) to focus on education and the importance of setting goals.  And even though we're not parents quite yet, we do know that we want nothing but the best for our children and we will do everything in our power to set them up for success - that's what our parents did for us...and that's what we'll do for our children.

And in the event Abby does go to Stanford, she'll always have these booties as a reminder of how motivated she was...straight out of the womb! 

When did your parents start talking to you about College?  Did they have you sporting Stanford-like booties at birth, or were they a little more reasonable? 

Here are a few pics from the game the other night...

Before the Game
Our Awesome Seats

7 comments:

  1. College...great topic!
    A few more questions for you to ask:
    Are your followers, with children, or not, saving for their children's college years?
    If so, how early did they begin the savings plan?
    What type of college saving accounts are available and from what institutions do you open them at?
    How much are they putting away and how often?
    What is the recommended % of income saved per child for a 4 year college education?
    What will the projected average cost be per child, born in 2011, be to attend 2 years, 4 years of college?
    Curious anyone?
    Very important topic!

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  2. I've always liked Stanford's mascot :)

    My dad took me to visit a college when I was in elementary school- but I loved it and still remember it! We also used to go to football games of the colleges in our areas. It definitely made me look forward to going to college one day.

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  3. College was never not an option! It was put in my brain from day one...simply parents wanting their child to succeed! You can relate now!

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  4. LOL. In our family it was college or nothing. But I didn't get into ivy league. Oh well!

    I do hope my daughter goes to college, and I encourage her to strive for the best of them all. But if she chooses to do something else (healthy) with her life, like be a dancer or an artist, I'll totally stand behind her too.

    But you are right, little college logos on her socks do look cute. I hope your daughter will be encouraged to strive for such a good school!

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  5. Those booties are too cute! Seriously though, I love that you both want the absolute best for Abby. The tradition of attening the same university as your parents isn't as strong here in Ireland as it is in the States, but my parents certainly always encouraged me to pursue further education. They definitely worried when I opted for English lit, wondering what would become of (happily I ended up in publishing and they've stopped worrying - I think!)

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  6. @Avante Garde Parenting - gotta love the Stanford Tree, right!?! The other night, it looked more like a Shrub than an actual tree - they change it up every year - they know how to keep it fresh :)

    @Jennifer - so true...college was the only way!

    @The Girlie Blog - Agreed...we will support our kids as well...even if their choices are a different path (like the arts...which are completely awesome as well!).

    @Russell - LOVE the pic of your girls...haha. So cute!

    @Ramblings - So cute, right? And that's really interesting about the difference between the States and Ireland. Haha...and it's nice to hear your parents have stopped worrying (well, let's be honest, will parents EVER stop worrying?!?)

    :)

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