I’m the parent of an only. I was a SAHM mom her whole life. Big, big adjustment. Drop off was OK for us freshman year. D was so happy and excited that it wasn’t hard to feed off of that. It was much harder being back at the house without her.
We were also in the camp of “keep busy.” I started taking long walks every day, and picked up some new hobbies - gardening and baking. (All Covid friendly activities).
I found that sophomore year was harder because she took herself to school. Very crazy feeling watching her drive away.
This year we are going down with her because there is no way she can fit everything in her car because she’s living alone so isn’t splitting the small appliances and stuff. I fully expect to cry the entire ride home.