I’m bracing myself for what seems like it’s going to be the quickest summer ever. I’m not sure if it’s just the ever-changing school calendar, which has us finished with one school year before June, and starting the next on Aug. 23, or if it’s just a function of getting older and everything in general seems to be moving in fast forward.

This summer is extra busy since we have to kick things into high gear preparing for A’s senior year of high school, and beyond. Three of our next four weeks have one or more college visits scheduled. He’s trying to plan a work schedule around summer practices, senior picture taking, and eventually, his wisdom teeth extractions. Since this is technically the last summer before he becomes an adult, I want him to take the time to do some “kid” things, too. I want him to enjoy the freedom, and the responsibility, that comes with having his driver’s license, while I’m still close enough to rein him in if needed.

I have been feeling like I’m forgetting a lot when it comes to things he should be doing to get ready for the whole senior experience. Newsflash: senior year has changed a lot since 1991. Back then, getting your senior pictures done meant going down to Cassidy Studios on East Broad Street, and getting the standard “head tilt, staring off into space” head shot done. If you were fancy, you got it done with two or three different backgrounds, or maybe you wore your sports jersey for one of them.

Now, I’m looking at booking a photographer for what seems like most of a day, choosing several sites, tracking down items and uniforms to represent just about every activity he’s participated in over the last 4 years, and hoping that all lines up with his face not breaking out or his haircut schedule. I think I might be starting to regret encouraging him to be involved in so much stuff.

I thought I could simplify things by printing out a checklist or something from the internet. Instead, I ended up with about 10 checklists, including a checklist for applying to college, a checklist for applying for financial aid, a checklist for how to get into the school of your choice, starting in 9th grade (whoops, missed the boat on that one), and a bucket list for your senior year, just to name a few.

I’m not sure if the internet is a blessing or a curse when it comes to applying for scholarships and financial aid. Back in the day, the only way we found out about scholarships was if the guidance office happened to have a hard copy form for it or someone’s mom’s uncle’s cousin’s next door neighbor knew someone somewhere handing out cash. Now, there are apparently tons of scholarships out there, if you’re willing to track them down and apply for them. I’ve been able to find specific scholarships for just about every box that A checks, from being a Boy Scout to having a congenital heart defect.

Sure, some of them may only be for a few hundred dollars, but every cent counts, right? Or does it? At what point does managing all of this become a full-time job in itself? I feel like he could spend his entire summer filling out scholarship applications or he could get a job and earn the money himself. At least the paycheck is guaranteed.

I’m having a tough time trying to decide where to draw the line on what needs to be his responsibility and where I need to intervene. He obviously has to get used to doing a lot of these things for himself, but I still feel like he might benefit from my experiences, both good and bad, and when it comes down to it, I really want to be an integral part of his life for as long as I can. Losing Steve has made me much more aware of how precious time is, and simultaneously, how important it is for all of us to be able to function independently. It’s the standard double-edged sword that everything seems to be these days.

It’s actually a little fun, revisiting this whole process. I was lucky to have had a truly wonderful senior year, with a large friend group that did everything together. Although I didn’t get in to my first choice of college, I landed exactly where I belonged, and had a transformative four-year education. I want the same experience for A, and in two years for G, and two years after that, for E.

To that end, I go back to my favorite poem, Max Ehrmann’s Desiderata for words of advice: “Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.” With all the chaos and to-do lists in front of us, it will be easy to forget to take a moment to appreciate and enjoy how far he has come and what he has achieved. It will be easy to focus on how far he has to go, but I hope that will be less daunting for him if he takes a few moments to remember how good it feels to put in the work and then get across the goal line.

To all the newly minted high school and college graduates out there, take a moment for yourself, and congratulate yourself on your accomplishments. Yeah, you did that, and you should be proud of yourself for it. Along the way, you’ve probably had your share of obstacles, but you’ve overcome them, and you did it! To all those entering their senior year, while it’s definitely not time to take your foot off the gas and apply the brakes, maybe just maybe, take a minute to coast and enjoy the ride. That checklist will still be waiting for you tomorrow.

Liz Pinkey is a contributing columnist who appears weekly in the Times News.