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Alder & Ivy

Advice • 5 min read

Recruitment Is Stressful for Moms Too — Take a Deep Breath

By Karen Whitfield • Beta ’88 • Mom of Two Sisters

Young women celebrating together in caps and gowns

Dear mom refreshing your phone at midnight: I’ve been exactly where you are — twice. Here’s what I wish someone had told me before my daughters’ recruitment weeks.

Her schedule is not your emergency

Recruitment days are long, emotional and over-scheduled by design. If she calls crying at 10 p.m., listen, love her, and resist fixing it. Most “disasters” look completely different after sleep — and her recruitment counselor has guided hundreds of women through the same tears.

Keep your rankings to yourself

You will develop opinions about chapters. Keep them gentle and keep them private. The right chapter is the one where she lights up — not the one with the prettiest house or your own history. Ask “where did you feel most yourself?” and then trust her answer.

“My job wasn’t to get her into a chapter. My job was to remind her she was already enough for any of them.”

Take care of yourself, too

Plan coffee with a friend, take the walk, mute the parent group chat when it spirals. A calm mom is the greatest recruitment asset there is — and on Bid Day, when she comes running with her new letters, you’ll be so glad you saved your energy for the celebration.

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