<p>The weeping, I mean.</p>
<p>Who would have guessed that what set me off was the realization that I was packing the last of about 2000 lunches for my son. Do you think I can drop him off at Harvard with a bag lunch?</p>
<p>I think that would be perfectly acceptable. Don’t forget to enclose a note reminding him that you love him. They can never be told too many times.</p>
<p>Thank you, SplashMom. I feel a little silly. . .</p>
<p>You’ve got no reason at all to feel silly! I’m sure you must be so proud of him and with good reason. My D is away doing Girls State and Governor’s School for six weeks and I cried all the way home. It’s natural and normal to miss your kids … after all, they’ve been right there with us for so many years! We can be thankful they’re doing what we’ve been teaching them to do all these years … be independent and fly on their own! You do realize I will need you to tell me this exact thing next year when my D prepares to leave for college, don’t you?</p>
<p>I’ll be here. . . gearing up for S2. Ahhhh!</p>
<p>1moremom,</p>
<p>This may not really be the last lunch that you ever pack for your son, don’t worry. I have to confess that my s (who just finished a year of college) is home for the summer. He is working very hard trying to save money for next semester. I keep telling him that he could save money by packing his lunch instead of buying one. Well, I was throwing my lunch together before work the other day, and I admit that I “helped” put his together since he was running late…</p>
<p>This should make you feel better. We’re dropping out son off at West Point on June 27th. We’ll see him during certain holidays but we know that he won’t be spending the summers at home - and that there won’t be any even slightly extended time back at home after he graduates. The Army has some plans for him. So June 27th takes on a lot of meaning for us.</p>
<p>Now you will get to move on to sending care packages. My mom enjoys putting them together, I think. </p>
<p>I am two years out of college and will start grad school soon, and I STILL expect a package now and again… so you have YEARS of care package sending ahead of you. BTW, getting a package from mom at college is not considered dorky or a mark of immaturity. As I walked back to my dorm from the mail room holding a box, friends would say, “oooh, a package! What’s in it? Is it from your parents?” Everyone wanted a piece of the action.</p>
<p>Not quite the same as packing a lunch, but might give you the same sort of feeling.</p>
<p>BigGreen: now that brought a lump in my throat. What a feeling of pride you must have, amongst all the others. I think that young people who choose and are able to get into the military academies are amazing.</p>
<p>So, it has always been our dorky but adorable family tradition to decorate the kids bedrooms in silly ways the night before their birthdays so they would wake up to a surprise, and a special day.
When do you end this?
Who knows, but last sunday, S. graduated from college, today he turned 22, and guess what? He woke to a decorated room. And was thrilled. So I guess they will still be looking for excuses to sleep in their own beds the night before their birthdays forevermore.
Anyway, the (really) good news was, he had 2 job interviews today… and got 2 offers!</p>
<p>YAY Annelise’s son! Plus the birthday tradition sounds worth keeping…</p>
<p>Sokkermom…what I wanna know is…what was the picture on his lunchbox?</p>
<p>Susan, </p>
<p>Unfortunately, I couldn’t find the Ninja Turtle or Power Rangers or Star Wars ones.</p>
<p>Had to settle for the proverbial “brown bag”. :)</p>
<p>… and yes, I held back the urge to put his name on the bag in big red marker. And I didn’t find a single sticker to put on the bag. But I did find a pudding cup (his favorite) to throw in there for old times sake.</p>