Castle Island

K and M in front of the Great Republic Monument at Castle Island
K and M in front of the Great Republic Monument at Castle Island

The Monday after Ben’s graduation picnic was New Student Orientation at Wentworth Institute of Technology.  I hadn’t been on campus yet, so I got to be his family at the events.

Warren, M, Dan and K at Castle Island
Warren, M, Dan and K at Castle Island

We caught the 6:44 train at the Attleboro station.

K playing with a lap dog, give her long enough and she will befriend every dog and child in a park.
K playing with a lap dog, give her long enough and she will befriend every dog and child in a park.

I was a little sniffle-ly when we got to Ruggles station and Ben reminded me to be careful getting off the train and showed me his shortcut to campus across North Eastern University. When he was little, I used to help him off the train at Ruggles and led him to the art museum. He now knows a shortcut there too.

M and K climbing on a stone wall
M and K climbing on a stone wall

Dan and Warren took M and K to Castle Island as a bit of a rehearsal for driving to Logan Airport and home in rush hour.

K sitting on a stone wall
K sitting on a stone wall

Warren found and treated them to ice cream too.

K, Warren and M on a stone wall
K, Warren and M on a stone wall

At Wentworth the company who rents fridges and freezers to the students for their dorms were giving out free ice cream and brochures on the quad when we left one of our lecture sessions.

-That was clever.

K, Dan and Warren in front of an impressive door at Castle Island
K, Dan and Warren in front of an impressive door at Castle Island

They really did have a gluten free lunch for me at Wentworth. Ben had to take a writing sample, and sleep over in the dorm (the mattress was like all college dorm mattresses, but the armour was sturdy and attractive.)

K hugging Warren by the Fort Independence marker
K hugging Warren by the Fort Independence marker

I had guessed that the topics in the Dean’s speech to parents about conversations to have with students would cover money and sex, my friends Paul and Loni predicted the other topic would be alcohol.

Our guesses were nearly spot on: the parents alone talk was about fostering independence by encouraging students to keep up with their paperwork and do their own laundry and budgeting. The talk to everyone before dinner was about scary statistics for American College students around alcohol related deaths (1825 annually), sexual assault (1 in 4 college women during their years at school) – what consent means (we never got to STDS, or emergency pregnancy) and suicide (1 in 10 students make an active suicide plan during college).

I need to pray for college students more.

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