OK...not just to cruise but to work on a cruise ship.

A bit of background, DD is 19 and has been dancing since she was 3. She danced all through school, including attending magnet programs for dance all the way through high school. She was accepted to New World School of the Arts in Miami for dance last year. She moved to Miami, but she was not happy with the program, so we started looking elsewhere for another school.
She auditioned for Florida School of the Arts a small arts school in Palatka, FL and was offered a full scholarship. Great....right?! She's basically set and ready to go to FloArts in August. Now, lets just say she's not been an "A" student this past year. She passed her freshman year....but it was iffy...LOL

My sister tells her about auditions for Royal Carribbean Cruise Line this past weekend. I say...go, it will be good experience to audition for a professional company, and will get you ready for the real world. She's been on auditions before, but only for ballet companies and/or summer programs.

So we go....there are about 40 other dancers there, girls & boys. They tell us they are making 3 cuts, and then they will tape the ones they like. Well, we were there for 3+ hours, I kept waiting for her to come out so I could give her the "it was a good experience" speech. Well she never came out....until the very end and she came out with 7 other dancers and paperwork that she had completed the audition process and that they would make a decision in the next 2 weeks.

THEY CALLED HER TODAY AND OFFERED HER A JOB!! A 6 month contract on a ship out of LA.

While I'm thrilled for her and beyond proud, I'm concerned about college. I think its a great opportunity for her to travel and have a once in a lifetime experience. But the MOM in me says STAY IN COLLEGE....GET YOUR DEGREE!
I'm afraid once she leaves school, she won't go back. She says she'll go back and finish school, but that's what *I* said I would do, and of course I never did.

What do you guys think?

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Congratulations to your daughter, she must be very happy!


Personally, I would do everything I can to talk my daughter out of this. I know that my hubby would have a fit. With all the illnesses on cruise ships, the crime, and people going over board, I just dont know that I would want my 19 yr old child to go, esp alone.

That being said, she is an adult. I hope that if she makes the decision to go that she has a wonderful time, sees lots of the world and makes tons of memories.


Darlene

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Sell crazy some place else, we are all stocked up here.

I would do what I could to talk her out of this.....But the 19 year old in me says GO FOR IT GIRL!! Live while you are young. Tough call.

Could she take online course while she is cruising? Maybe a thought.

Good Luck

Personally, I just wasn't into college at that age. Now at 31 I've been wanting to go back for a while and hopefully I'll be able to in the next couple of years. That job sounds like fun! Certainly worth discussing how difficult it is to get BACK to school later. I didn't care when I was that age, but I'm glad I didn't finish then, most likely would have ended up with a degree in a field I later found I hated.

How cool is that???!!!!! Awesome. Let her go for it...live with no regrets! :-)

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If you're not living on the edge, you're wasting space.

Let her go. It's the wrong time for you (understandably) but it could be the only time for her. If she says she will go back to college then trust her. I know that a college education is important but so is living your life and realizing your dreams.

M

Will this be her what if...

Would this be something that she will always wish she would have done if she doesn't do it? I have a neighbor who made the minor league but he decided to finish school. He got injured and never went. He always regrets not going.


But then again will the scholarship be there when she is ready to go to college?

tough call there........

Maybe working on the cruise ship will do her good....hey, six months of working, being on the ocean. Sock it away for school, and then back to the books when the six months is up????

tough call.

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Doing the right thing isn't always the same as doing the easy thing.

If it was my daughter, I would want her to go. This kind of thing is a once in a lifetime opportunity. I would not voice my reservations and just be excited for her. Can she get a deferral from the school? I'm jealous; do they want a 32 year old mother of three???

One of the (best) teachers at my daughters dance school did that for Royal Caribbean. She was a dancer and then a choreographer. She's an awesome dance teacher and she owns a Yoga studio in addition. I don't know if she went to college or not, but she's awesome and successful at what she does!

Lisa

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"It's not having what you want,
It's wanting what you've got"

Screw the education. It's not what it's cracked up to be. There are many people in this world who are very smart and make a lot of money...and don't have an *education*. It's your daughter's life, let her live it.

I have a son who dropped out of a 4 year college (horrors!) to go to a local business school. He found a good job right away, and has made more than most of his college educated friends.

On another note, it will be very difficult for you as a mother to let her go. I have another son (who BTW has a college degree), who loves to travel. He finds a job *somewhere* and takes off. I see him about every 6 months. Right now he's living in Taiwan. He's 23 and has been to about 30 countries. Do I wish he lived a *normal* life? Sure, then I'd see him more....but I am so happy that he's happy and doing what he wants to do.

Sorry this is so long...

I saw if your daughter wants to dance, "go for it", I've known a many people who have worked on cruise ships that have never had any issues. Let her do what she wants to do, if you hold her back she'll just end up resenting you in the long run. It's only 6 months, can't she go to college after that?

I have a daughter who is will be 19 in August. So I understand how you feel as a mother. But then I also think back when I was that age. I would of loved to do something like that. I think if she wants to do it I would not try to talk her out of it. She might regret not doing it. College will always be there. This opportunity may not.

Sometimes we have to let our kids make their own decisions, I think right now it might be better to not hold her back and let her learn a life lesson. You can put your two cents in and tell her how you feel about it but tell her it is her decision. She won't resent you for it and if she falls then she can't blame you.

You can't really stop her you know what I mean? I think this approach might have better results in the long run. She is still young she has to learn.

Thanks for all your replies. She's more than likely taking the job. The career for a dancer is a short one at best, so she's going to see how she likes it. If she loves it, she'll stay on longer if they extend her contract if she hates it, school will still be there. The scholarship probably won't be, but she also has pre-paid college.

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are you kidding? once in a lifetime chance! congrats on such a fun job. My old neighbors made a living dancing on cruise ships and loved it..

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Too many people spend money they haven't earned to buy things they don't want, to impress people they don't like. - Will Rogers

I hope she has fun! I would have done it at that age! 6 months isn't too long. Maybe she won't like it and school will be looking good in 6 months or maybe it's the start of a wonderful career....happy travels

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ITA.........I would check into online course....she may not be able to take the same amount of classes as if she were going to school, but she could probably at least take a few......

Better her do this while she has a chance......then to be years done the road and wonder what if.

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"You can never really pay back. You can only pay forward."

Wayne Woodrow “Woody” Hayes

O-H-I-O

That's a really good point.

I just have to say how fascinating and impressive! The experience and stories your son could tell. Good for him.

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l/ l/ l/
Dont go through life,
GROW through life

Real eyes...realize...real lies.

there is a lady on another board i belong to whose dd is on a cruise ship job for 6 months, she is in her early 20s, she works from 6am to about 9pm or so on the ship her mom says. The dd is ok with it but was surprised it was that many hours...but is happy to be making a good salary and enjoying the traveling.
I don't recall which cruise line etc or specific job that is, but check all the details thoroughly and make sure she's ok with the job & the hours it sounds like fun to me though. good luck!

At first I said what let her go but in reality & I Know been thier done that once you quit college alot of times you dont go back I never did & it hasnt gotten me very far but I do have work experience which is what she would have so who knows I suppose its a toss up. But remeber she could so easily meet a guy on the ship get married have kids & never go back thats what I did but my story dont involve a ship I wish it did though LOL

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Please update us! What is she going to do??

And couldn't they put her in a ship out of Miami or Ft. Lauderdale? Just so she could be closer to home. Plus then she could get CiCi some of her unmentionable rum.

LOL....that was me with the rum. I know Cici and I look alike to you guys

She's going. We went down and applied for her passport yesterday, got her contracts today. Dad & I are going over them.

I know what you mean about MIA/FLL.....I know you live down here too. She lives in downtown Miami too...right by Bayside! SO of course where do they send her out of? LOS ANGELES!! Oh well. she's so thrilled and excited.

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"Don't let school get in the way of your education." - Mark Twain.

I say go for it.

I left school at that age to explore the world a bit. I ended up getting married and started a family before I went back to school. I now have an RN, a JD, a great family and I and have no regrets!

Can she get you free cruises? ; )

Funny, I just got off a Royal Caribbean cruise a few hours ago. As one poster said, they do more than just their shows. They have to do other activities. I am not sure what else but I did see the performers around the ship like checking people in during drills and teaching dance classes. The people on the ship do not get much down time but if she likes dancing they do a great job and they look like they are having fun. Actually, it may get her to go back to school. They showed biographic information on each performer. Most of the performers had degrees in dance or thearter.

"Don't let school get in the way of your education." - Mark Twain."

I could not agree more!

As an artistic type (who would only attend and excel in the classes I liked in regular colleges back in the 70's) I say let her go for it.

I finally graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in NYC (many, many years ago ;-) after racking up enough credits in other colleges to graduate w/out having the *right* credits* for a *real* degree from any of em.
My kids have gotten the most fabulous and better educations from traveling than anything else I've tried to cram down their throats.
BTW, I am a die hard homeschooler (even though most of my kids *have* attended public,and private schools as well as universities).
My #1 DS is now 20 yo, has garnered enough *life experience* to earn him enough scholarships to not need to work even one hour of his last year in university.

Us artistic types just have a really hard time doing what normal folks think is the the way to *grow up* ;-)

And dancers are in a universe totally different from what is the norm.

You're a great mom to not try ( too hard to hold her back.

She *will* make mistakes, the decision she's made may not always make her happy, but you've given her a good basis to work from.
Kudos to you.
And remember - we are not raising kids, we are raising children to become adults who can make their own decisions, with all the negative aspects that come with that.

MZ