Today, my daughter turns 18. Thus, I would like to introduce everyone to a wonderful new legal adult, Erin.
Right now, she’s at Berkeley. Although she loves her classes (loads and loads of history), at times she is not that enamored of the university. She’s finding it large, and finding it hard to make friends other than high school acquaintances. This is because she’s initially shy when first meeting people. We’re doing what we can as parents, but there is only so much you can do from a distance. This is a problem she needs to work out on her own, and I’m sure as the semesters go on it will get better for her. (Of course, if you would like to introduce her to folks and are in the area, let me know and I’ll get you contact info).
Alas, we wont be there tomorrow night to take her out to dinner, so we’ll just have to do it virtually by paying for it. The good news is that we’ll be seeing her next week when she comes down for Thanksgiving.
So with this (scheduled) post, let me be the first to wish her happy birthday from a very proud father.
Happy Birthday, Erin!
Happy Birthday, dear Erin! We’ll be in the Bay Area for Christmas with the Walls…probably miss her though, right?
Yeah, she’ll down in LA while the dorms are closed.
happy birthday 🙂
Happy Birthday Erin!
Just a suggestion Erin, try to join some clubs in the area to make new friends. I can be shy as well, but meeting new people is a vital skill you’ll need for the rest of you life (online friends don’t count, they need to be physical friends in real life).
Happy birthday to Erin! And I second the suggestion to join a club on campus to meet new people. I was horribly painfully shy as a child/teenager/young adult. I still am in certain situations, and I have to consciously force myself to be otherwise most of the time. It’s hard, but usually worth it.
Berkeley has an amazing amount of resources for almost anything, but, unlike expensive private schools, you have to go look for them. Seconding Larymotrman’s suggestion, find activities that seem interesting; it will be easier to make friends in smaller settings like that.
The dance scenes I participate in have lots of people Erin’s age, as well as older, and it’s easy enough to make friends in them. If Erin is interested, I can send you or her info with websites, locations, times, prices, etc.
Sending her info won’t get her there. With her shyness, it would be better to have someone call her, introduce themselves as a “friend of Nicole”, and invite and pick her up and bring her there (she’s in Unit 1 at Berkeley). I can provide contact info.