tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4538921877820471782.post6025975801638906383..comments2011-03-04T10:25:10.031-06:00Comments on Midlife Coed: NEW BABY BOOMER STUDENTS… HELPVeronicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17377460489827673829noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4538921877820471782.post-31971970118754774172010-02-16T21:00:14.974-06:002010-02-16T21:00:14.974-06:00Thanks for the post and for the wonderful comments...Thanks for the post and for the wonderful comments. I have two daughters who are also attending college so it's been a learning experience all the way around. It is fun comparing notes and classes with them. <br />Congratulations on your accomplishments!Bettyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15726443174805825646noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4538921877820471782.post-68985630046496864772010-02-16T00:59:39.615-06:002010-02-16T00:59:39.615-06:00After my husband died, I went back to school (in m...After my husband died, I went back to school (in my late 50s) to earn a doctorate in clinical psychology. Mind you–the average age of students in my class was around 25, and most of the profs were in their late 40s and mid 50s.<br /><br />My friends thought I was crazy, but what a great decision I made! Not only did I learn skills to help others, but I also gained a totally new perspective of what it means to be a twenty-something-year-old student trying to navigate in a world that is totally different from the one in which I lived when I was that age. I found my fellow students to be totally accepting of me, and I learned so much from them that I can use in the “real” world. Their language was a constant source of entertainment; their opinions were enlightening and spot-on in most cases; their enthusiasm for life was contagious; and their can-do attitude bouyed me up when I felt old and tired. In short, they made me feel alive. <br /><br />Not only that, but my capacity to remember things and to learn new concepts increased tenfold. New synapses have been activated because I am using parts of my brain that I haven’t used for years. Memorization–my younger day nemesis–serves me well these days as I challenge myself to remember the old and integrate the new.<br /><br />Those adults who say that the younger generation is doomed simply have not talked with–-or listened to-–them. They are simply delightful, and I find a renewed optimism in knowing that this generation will one day be running the country—-and probably the nursing home in which I will be living! <br /><br /><br /><br />Cherie Renfrow-Starry <br />A Private Practice Therapist, Mental Health Counselor<br />Edmonds, WAAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com