Conversations With Shane

Shane has weekly "Coping Cat" appointments at the University of Washington. It's an anxiety program for kids 6/7 years of age and up.

As Shane and I were driving back home today from Coping Cats we had this conversation in the car. It all started because he had earned a reward from Miss. Charlotte and he had picked a stuff mini Husky football toy.

Me: That is a Husky toy because we were at the University of Washington and the Husky is their mascot.  Papa went to college there. You can go to college there if you wanted.

Shane: I don't want to go to college there. I want to go to your college. Where is your college?

Me: I went to Western in Bellingham, which is about 2 hours from here, close to the Canadian border.

Shane: That is to far away. I don't want to go there.

Me: Well, the University of Washington is pretty much the closest college to where we live. (There are a few others, but for the sake of conversing with a 6 year old I left those out).

Shane: There is too much traffic there. (We get stuck in rush hour traffic coming home from Coping Cats.)

Me: When you go to college you can live on campus in a dorm.

Shane: What is a dorm?

Me: It's like a little apartment there at school, so you don't have to drive every day to our house.

Shane: (He says this with tears already in his eyes) I DON'T LIKE APARTMENTS!!!! I don't want to go to college! I don't want to live there!

Me: Calm down, buddy. You don't have to college until you are 18. How many years is that?

Shane: (Silence)

Me: It's 12 years away. A long time away. You don't have to worry about college now at all.

Shane: I'll be able to drive before I go to college.

Me: Yep, that is right. Buddy, if you want to live at our house when you go to college, that is totally okay with me.

Shane: (He says with relief.) Yeah! I want to live with you when I go to college.