Help! Oldest daughter going off to college. We need support

BusyMomof4
Mon, 25 Aug 2008 20:07:45 +0000

Everything was going so well, I thought. She seemed so happy and has been having a lot of fun. Maybe too much - I think she’s exhausted. Today she called and cried. She’s homesick and lonely. She feels like she’s at a party and can’t go home. She’s always had so much fun and has always been taken care of, both by her family and boyfriend. She just feels alone, even though she’s meeting lots of people. She says she has fun when she’s with people, but during this long week of orientation there are several long gaps. She has a single which will be great later on (I hope), but it can certainly create isolation right now. Her RA had two floor meetings and that’s it. Her floor bonding is over. She has met girls that are too wild and girls that are not outgoing enough. This was my nightmare. It was hard enough leaving her, but now hearing her unhappy has broken my heart. I could hardly focus on getting my other kids ready for school on Wednesday. I know it will get better - I remember from my college experience. It takes about three weeks I think? She’s in a really academic environment and is finding it hard to connect. She’s used to being the academic one in a group of friends who liked to have fun. This is so hard. I’m sending a care package tomorrow, but that’s all I know to do. I guess she is lucky to have had so much love in her past, and I think it’s just hard to be alone.