The flag is ready, but right now our daughter is deep in exam season. The house is filled with tension, and the Valdispert tablets for exam nerves aren't making much difference. For years, I'd see those flags with hanging bags signaling exam successes and think, "How sweet—someone passed!" Now, living it firsthand, I see it's far more intense; that flag doesn't just appear by magic.
"Where are my keys? Where's my phone?" Panicked eyes turn to me as I scramble to find her missing items.
"I'm going to be late, Mom!" she yells in frustration. I sigh, offer encouragement, and send up a flurry of silent prayers as she finally pedals off on her bike.
The whole family has sore thumbs from anxious twiddling. When she finally posts on Facebook that it went "quite well," likes pour in and thumbs go up from everyone.
We don't even know if she'll pass yet, but we've already enrolled her in further education. It feels premature since her interests are all over the place. At eight, she dreamed of being Barbie and designing bags. At 12, baking cakes with her brother Abel was the plan, then acting took over. Her passions were always creative and varied, so we leaned that way.
We attended an open day at the ROC, where Film Academy reps shared their stories. It wasn't the right fit—too behind-the-scenes. Onward!
Weeks later, we visited HKU in Utrecht, and it felt perfect. The day was inspiring; I even mused, "What a shame this didn't exist in my time." But reality hit: auditions clashed with her exams, and from 400 applicants, only 15 spots, with just one likely landing a job. Back to square one. She struggled to decide, but we settled on Saxion—a "broad" program offering better job prospects. Yet, what is certainty? Jobs are scarce; even top training needs luck, patience, and perseverance.
My friend endured this with her son, pilot-obsessed since childhood. It's costly and grueling, but for his dream, she sacrificed—saving household funds to support him. He graduated with his diploma and wings, ready to soar. But the 2008 crisis killed opportunities; he's done unrelated work since, paying for flight hours himself. Despair loomed until his dream job appeared abroad—Dutch market still frozen. He poured everything in; now we wait. She's thrilled yet bittersweet, facing an empty nest.
Our kids face tough odds—no matter how hard they study, jobs aren't guaranteed. Exams end soon; we'll await that call. Passed or not, I hope we hang that flag and figure out the next step.
