In this episode, Neil, along with his co-host Robin, responds to a mom who is wondering if she should send her graduating son to college or not.  Although he was accepted, he shows no enthusiasm or motivation, and Mom is needing to push him to graduate.  He sees a counselor but nothing is changing.

Today we’re hearing from Jennifer of Long Beach, California who writes:

Dear Neil,

I don’t know what to do with my graduating son.  He’s accepted to college and is limping to the finish line of high school.  With COVID and remote, then in-class learning and all the changes in school activities and friendships, my son got pretty lost and depressed.  When they went back to in-school learning, he went to about half his classes. We got counseling for him and he says he likes his counselor and likes going, but it hasn’t changed anything.    

He doesn’t seem excited about college, and I have to stay on him to manage all the preparation for graduation from high school and preparation for college, such as applying for housing etc. I want him to get a job and he shrugs it off.  His father is pretty frustrated with him, and they avoid each other whereas I try to stay supportive.  I wonder if he’s ready for college and how much I should really be doing for him.  For his part, he’s happy to hang out with a few friends and play video games. I know he smokes weed but I don’t know how much or how much that might be affecting him. 

Here’s my question, do we send him to college or have him delay entry for a year and go to community college or do some kind of gap year activity? 

Neil and Robin give Mom a way to address this with her son and take on the larger issue of the effect of remote learning on young adults.