<p>You are lucky to have an 11 year old, Skibird. That’s my favorite age. You can talk to them like an adult, but they haven’t turned into nasty teenagers yet. 
I know it is hard right now, but you are going to have such fun talking to your D on the phone and hearing about all that is happening with her. Your relationship will be even closer and better.</p>
<p>At least you’re not an empty-nester yet. I had a much more difficult time having my daughters go off to school, while my wife was fine - the complete opposite of what I expected.</p>
<p>It passes after a while, or more correctly becomes less of a concern. I’m still excited to see them but glad to have time and privacy to ourselves. :)</p>
<p>Timely and Parent2Noles</p>
<p>Thanks for the encouragement. I guess this is just one phase of growing as a parent. I just didn’t realize how much pain would go with the growth!</p>
<p>Parenting is not painless, even under the best of circumstances. Good parenting is not for the spineless. I never worried so much until I had kids.</p>
<p>I suppose one reason why I’m so proud of my girls is that they took so much effort and time. I just love the heck out of them…but the nest is now ours again.</p>
<p>We dropped off her things on Friday and then left for home. The departure wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be, and it was all tempered by the week we had already been apart. She teared up many times during the day we spent together, but when we left it was quick and painful at the same time. I got in the car and sobbed, but she didn’t see me. In some ways all of this is easier, but in other ways its so much harder. I feel like there is such a void in our house - the whole vibe has changed. I can go to sleep earlier because I no longer have to wait for her to come home. I can make whatever I want for dinner because my picky eater is gone. I miss laughing with her and hanging out with her. We vidchatted yesterday which was great, and we im, text and talk when she initiates it. I can tell that she is homesick, but she’s having fun. I understand what other parents have said that it’s a lot easier to be happy when your child is happy. She’s getting there. Things are changing for me, but I hope I find a new happy place.</p>
<p>Another breakdown today… I woke up this morning to see D’s room completely cleaned out with the sheets stripped off of her bed, the floor swept and the laundry done. I grabbed a blanket and then carefully layed it across her bed. Please stop cleaning your room I said as I jammed her bare pillow back into it’s case.</p>
<p>How true that I’m happy when she’s happy - I feel like she put my heart in her chest with hers. Mine is also homesick but happy. Since she’s a singer, the thing I miss the most is hearing her singing all over the house, warming up and rehearsing. On a positive note, I did get to sing as loud as I wanted to the car radio on the way home. If only I could sing!</p>
<p>Spoke with my d today and she told me that she “is having the time of her life” and can hardly wait for classes to start tomorrow. </p>
<p>Even though I miss her desperately and still get choked up when I walk past her oh too quiet bedroom, I am so thrilled that she is so ecstatic with her collegelife. Having some separation pains is a small price to pay for having a child whose college fit has proved to be just right.</p>
<p>Left S at school for soph year yesterday. He was SO happy to be there! A bunch of his friends were moving in and came by. After a while I said, “You’re ready for us to leave, aren’t you?” He said, “No offense, but yeah.” So we hugged him and left. It’s easier this year, last year he didn’t know a single person when he arrived at school and this year we left him surrounded by a group of good friends. </p>
<p>But I do miss him again. I am really DREADING when D goes in 2 years and my nest is truly empty.</p>
<p>OK, I’ll say what everyone else is dancing around: It’s BORING when the kids aren’t here!</p>
<p>Last year we dropped DD off and did cry a bit at the end of Drop Off Day and on the 2 hour drive back home. When we got back, DW had to leave the next day to go on an annual week long girls trip and DS was a 14 year old busy with his own life. We were managing just fine until I went into the bathroom to wash hands for dinner and noticed that the toothbrush holder had only 3 toothbrushes in the stand and it would never be as full as it had been for the prior 14 years. Then I had a long cry!</p>
<p>We never think Dads would feel the same as we do. Last night a good friend’s husband got all choked up about going to play golf without his son and when buying grocery still grabbing his son’s favorite food/snacks.</p>
<p>S doesn’t leave for another three weeks (quarter system). DH thinks that it’s nuts to be upset when S finally goes. Of course, I know he’s looking at it through the lenses of his leave-taking – which was a desperately needed escape from a terrible home siutation. He thinks that we’ll drive home 11 hours that Sunday and go to work like nothing happened.</p>
<p>I’ve been preparing for this day for the past two years and have already shed a fair bit of tears. I’m expecting <em>he</em> will be the mess on the drive home that day because he has not braced himself emotionally for the break – thinking there IS nothing for which to prepare.</p>
<p>Just back from 4 days of helping our sophomore set up the 1st shared off-campus apartment, all the way on the opposite coast.
The rented minivan hauled couch, DR table and chairs, desk, desk chair, dresser, coffee table plus bags and boxes from Target, Lowes, Costco and the bursting at the seams 5ftx5ft storage unit. We had fun finding bargains on Craig’s list with roomie and her mom. And even found a deal on new mattress sets (which we had delivered)!
After the long hug, I was too tired to cry. I slept through both plane rides home.</p>
<p>
The grocery store one snuck up on me. I was pulling a bottle of grape juice off the shelf when I realized that I didn’t need grape juice because S2 was the only one who drinks it. It is so difficult and embarrassing to hide the tears when you are at the grocery store!</p>
<p>timely - you made me cry :(</p>
<p>Didn’t cry when we left S2 last Sat. He didn’t cry either. In fact, he acted like he couldn’t wait for us to leave. I called him tonight just to ask how his week had gone. Every answer was one syllable monotone. I asked if he was having fun and glad he was there. He answered “yes” to both. He finally told me he had to get off the phone because there was something he had to do (even though he said he was watching TV when he answered the phone). When I said “bye”, he just hung up. </p>
<p>DH chalked it all up to "guys don’t like to talk on the phone to their Mom, especially if someone else is in the room. I hope that’s it. He’ll be here this weekend for a football game his college is playing in our city. Hope he is a little more animated in person. Still not crying but I feel very blah after the phone call.</p>
<p>We said goodbye to our second son yesterday - he hugged us tighter than he has ever before. It’s only been one day but I miss him. I miss my son, my friend, my Chicago White Sox expert, my children’s brother, my track star, my storyteller … Husband and I keep running to the phone every time it rings and checking the caller ID to see if it’s him even before we pick it up - it’s funny, yet sweet, to see how much H already misses him and how anxious he is to talk to him. The White Sox won an exciting game today and during the game, H kept subconciously looking around the room for him - He is looking forward to talking to him about the game!</p>
<p>My house feels a little more empty now that two sons are away at school … feeling happiness for them but feeling very sad for me…</p>
<p>We’re a family of runners, and had a weak moment when we watched the Olympic marathon run. We realized that the next time we see this event (hopefully together) D1 will be a college grad, D2 will be 1/2 way through, and S will be entering his HS senior year! Kind of takes your breath away.</p>
<p>Pack Mom, I can relate to that phone call. Spoke with my son today after dropping him off on Thurs and had similar experience/feeling as you describe. I too have not cried but do have this unrelenting feeling of sadness. This is my first to go and my dtr is 2 yrs behind. She too is feeling the loss of her brother’s daily presence. Only my excitement for my son entering this new phase offsets my sadness a little. I worry though how he will handle his new found freedom seeing as he has already been to frat party/ies?? and classes start tomorrow. It was much more fun being on the other end of this experience but as a parent I guess pay backs a b****.</p>
<p>hugs to all who need them…brought my s up to washington and lee friday–spent weekend enduro dorm shopping and blended in some fun–swims and special meals and goofy comedy routines . he let his sister 17, and I help get his room all pulled together and that seemed to calm his initial nervousness…I had cried and cried night before we left…so much more calm yesterday, but felt surreal letting go of that goodbye hug and had some quiet tears in the dark on the plane rides home. saying a prayer for all of our kids that they are protected and feel free to spread their wings…have to keep reminding myself he’s not upstairs…good luck to all of us in this transition</p>