When in Rome? Not quite....

tonight my kids and I had a very interesting and enlightening discussion about peer pressure.  to give a little background, we live in a big city and my kids go to a private school but have friends from all walks of life.  we are not rich by ANY stretch of the imagination (can you say coupons?)  Anyway, there are several kids in the neighborhood who are 13 and 14 years old, who don't go to school with my children, who have gotten a reputation for drinking and smoking pot.  Yes 13 and 14 yrs old.  They are friends with some of my son's classmates, but not him.  They glorify the drinking and smoking and of course are the "popular" kids, because they are dangerous.
My 17 year old made the observation that you don't have to drink and smoke to be popular;but you do have to be social and not spend your time bashing those kids.  Why waste your time on losers? she questioned.  My son,, just listened and took it all in. It will be a new experience for him as a high school freshman dealing with upperclass students at parties,and just goig to these types of parties in general.
How have all of you dealt with the situation of  peer pressure with young teens?

Summer Job Search- a little late

My son is looking for work. It's a new concept for him. Having just come home from several weeks of foreign travel he was a little late in the summer employment game. He never applied for internships because he was supposed to work at a sleepaway camp, until he and all of his friends changed their minds. There really is not much around. He's been hitting the local retail locations to no avail. I've asked everyone I know and many that I do not. It seems that because of the bad economy the push down factor is hurting his chances. Adults are taking jobs that used to belong to college grads and those grads are taking the college kids'jobs. Since I dont want him sleeping all day and partying all night I've made many TO DO lists for him. So far, so good. Next week he will be driving his grandparents to their Dr.s appointments. If that doesn't make him search harder, nothing will. Did I mention, he is eating me out of house and home.

And away we go!

There we were, waiting for 7 am to strike.  All the checkmarks are in place and then boom....out went the internet.  Frantically, she shut down the computer again and again.  Finally, at 6:59 back on it went and at the stroke of 7, she hit the send button.  All classes were accepted and we have a schedule.  Freshman year is set! 
Back when I went to college, I remember waiting on line after line at the gym, hoping that by the time I got to the front of the line, the class wouldn't be filled, and then running around trying to find where the line is for the other classes I wantred.  Now in this computer age, push a button and its done.  I would prefer, of course, that it not be at & in the morning but that beats the 4am time if I lived on the west coast!
How have your child's experiences been with registration?

Next week...roommate notification.....