I also have a committed son, and our process was no where near as intensive for him or the family as it has apparently been for others. Did we sit in traffic on the way down to MD for a tourny? Yes, but there was more fun and family time on those car rides and in those cramped hotel rooms than we would have ever had at home. I would again pay--probably double--to have those days again.

Laughing , joking, singing (and yes, cursing the traffic and the merge at 8A) all the way up and down the NJ turnpike. We are a closer family as a result.

For those of us parents that work full time--how often do you really have a family dinner at home at 6pm like most of us did when we were growing up? Hardly ever in my house, but on those trips, we were together, 24/7, breakfast , lunch and dinner and then when they were younger, sitting by the hotel pool...

Now, if you spend that time telling your kid what he did wrong and how much harder he needs to work to play at the next level, you missed an opportunity to bond with your kid...but you also probably would have done the same thing at home.

Sometimes, people need to see the forest through the trees and recognize that whether it is lax in MD or soccer in philly, it is an opportunity to know and bond with the people that should matter most in your life. Stop looking ahead to what may or may not happen in the future and enjoy the time...

As far as the recruitment process, I posted on the 2018 site a few days back with some of the things that worked for us. Mine did get athletic dollars, but 25%, while great, at a great school, which I will not name, is not going to change my life or his...

Keep it fun and use your time wisely, it is coming to an end quickly. Soon, they will be at college, whether they play lax or not, that drive home after you drop them off at the dorms, is never laughing and singing, mostly you and the others in your car crying!