<p>D did have to ask which corner the stamp goes in. At least she got that far.</p>
<p>I know I said son would never go looking for stamps, but I was literally just reminded that about a week before son left for college, I ordered monogrammed notes for him. They weren’t expensive (less than $30) and are exactly like the notes he has here at home (basically card stock slightly larger than index cards- really simple) but I had them put his school address as the return address on the envelopes. I figured his nanaa or grandma sends him something he will need to write a note. He gets invited to a professors house for dinner, he’ll have the OPTION of writing a note (grandparents aren’t an option - you have to write those). I completely forgot about it! hmm… he should have gotten those by now.
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But then I was thinking, i bet if you’ve never had your very own address before, it’s kind of fun to get real honest to goodness mail. You know? But my question is, how is it that no one whose D/S was looking for stamps, asked them who they might be writing? OR am I just the incredibly nosey one?</p>
<p>PS… I have 130, but I swear MOST of them are my family!!</p>
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<p>'Cause I know where they’re going! Both sets of grandparents got a note, we got one note, a friend got a birthday card and the BF gets the rest.</p>
<p>Love how we practically force calc and advanced physics and such on HS students, but they don’t know where to put a stamp or fill out a voter registration card.</p>
<p>Think we are missing the boat here.</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/561214-unexpected-questions-our-kids.html?highlight=unexpected+questions+kids[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/561214-unexpected-questions-our-kids.html?highlight=unexpected+questions+kids</a></p>
<p>Some of you will remember that thread, because you posted on it…</p>
<p>My all time favorite story (I think it’s post #92 on that thread, from 07DAD):</p>
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<p>This was why I took S1 to the post office with me when he mailed apps senior year. Made him fill out the forms, put on postage, etc. Sent him off to school with stamps (They were in the box of envelopes)</p>
<p>But when he actually needed a stamp – he bought one from someone else on the hall.</p>
<p>Other life lessons encountered this summer: Yes, S1, employers DO issue you a paystub. Just because money shows up in your bank account doesn’t mean it’s the right amount, that you know what was withheld, for how many weeks you were paid, etc. Last summer’s job was paid in two big installments. Biweekly paychecks this summer were a new thing.</p>
<p>sabaray, Google Voice actually can do lots more stuff. There is a Google Voice app for the Blackberry, which is great.</p>
<p>I think the intensity of competitive high schools is such that many kids do not get a chance to pick up life skills. It dismays me to see how much pressure there is at my daughter’s school, which is a terrific school generally, but there is just too much work.</p>
<p>She transferred into an Advanced Bio class – as a competitive private school, they are too snobby to do an AP class, so this covers all of as a the AP material and requires several papers and a year-long research paper. I don’t know if the other kids were planning for this over the summer but in the second week of the course, she had to hand in a graded proposal for her year-long paper. She worked in her uncle’s molecular biology lab over the summer and she called him to get a few suggestions for topics. She picked one and then called her godfather, who is a preeminent geneticist, to get advice on how to shape and narrow the topic. I then helped her think through how to present it. Without those resources, I don’t know how she could have gotten it done in the time frame she was given (while also studying for a bio test and writing an art history paper and taking 1 1/2 dance classes and …). I suspect that few of the kids really know enough biology to pick a good paper topic on his/her own.</p>
<p>Joining the group late here. I appreciate hearing the (to us parents) little things our kids are clueless about. </p>
<p>Our fiercely independent oldest child headed to his freshman year at college mid August. Within two days DH, 15 year old DD & I headed halfway across the world with no cell phone coverage and iffy internet connections. For the first time in my life I heard: “What if I need you?” He seemed to take “work it out yourself or call Grandma in an emergency” in stride. In retrospect we should have forwarded our itinerary. We were not needed, but appeared to be missed when a newsy email came in about day five. </p>
<p>Back home now, we’re still working on the best mode of communication. I’ll have little back and forths on Facebook’s chat feature, text here and there*, and am still trying to set up a video chat once a week… settling for the phone call once a week for now. DH & DS email each other, and DD & DS text. It’s all better than my parents and my communications in college. I think I went months without talking to them.</p>
<p>*For the texting-challenged, you can text off your computer.
[Text</a> Messaging via Email | PCMech](<a href=“http://www.pcmech.com/article/text-messaging-via-email/]Text”>http://www.pcmech.com/article/text-messaging-via-email/)</p>
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<p>I guess I was just envisioning the question… and didnt really consider that there was any other information in addition to it. My mistake</p>
<p>My favorite clueless kid story is the third kid of a very together friend of mine who literally did not know the difference between a washer and a dryer. Her first week ta college, she put the liquid detergent in the dryer. I’m not kidding.</p>
<p>enjoyed catching up here…love the clueless kid snippets. always comforting to be reminded my own kid is not the only one who doesn’t know exactly where the stamp goes? whats with the postal deficit thing?</p>
<p>however, I must say, I am so pleased with how my d’s transition to college is going, d is home for the holiday and we spent the day together…from the moment I picked her up she was so happy…</p>
<p>she looooves her college, she’s talking with prof’s with ease,(a challenge for her in past) handed in first real paper yesterday (after much stressing and angst) and is feeling somewhat confident in her work, she is developing very nice friendship w one of her roommates–(d baked her bdy cake, and organized small party for roomie) all three roommates get along well, loves the weekend dance parties, dealing with male interest quite maturely, while spilling about a guy that caught her eye, etc… overall sees how great a match her school is for her…she even said,</p>
<p>"you raised me to be open minded and warm hearted, and I am…I accept everyone and feel a part of my new community, my school has changed my view of people–its like paradise how friendly and inclusive everyone is, life should be like this, and I think I can create my own life to be like this " I wiped away my tears and told her she had not only made my day, but she had made my life…</p>
<p>(interestingly d’s college is listed in the book, “Colleges that change lives” by Loren Pope)</p>
<p>D called yesterday to ask which debit card she should use to pay for something. Uhmmm The one that has money on it. They both did so she wasn’t sure if one should be used before the other. Sometimes I wonder about her…</p>
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<p>H has a regular singing job where he gets paid for the number of performances and rehearsals. He keeps track of the number of performances and reherasals and checks his paycheck…there are errors on a regular basis. The other singers range in age from 21 to 55…no one else ever checks their paycheck (and believe me, some of them really need the money.)</p>
<p>For all of you new empty nesters, let me remind you of what you’re glad you aren’t doing today: 8th grade B team volleyball tournament. 8:30 - 5:30. Guaranteed five games. This is the team that hasn’t won a game yet. Nine hours on bleachers. Concession stand food.</p>
<p>lindz, what a wonderful statement. That will warm your heart for years to come. Your whole family should feel good about that.</p>
<p>SJTH, a very good friend of mine from college did exactly that – putting detergent in the dryer – early her freshman year. It took the rest of the year to live it down. I remembered it enough to be Very Explicit when giving D laundry lessons before she left. At her request, I typed out two pages of instructions for her to bring along. I think I scared her.</p>
<p>Son did laundry for the first time the other day. Apparently he called, but I had missed it. He didn’t say anything was ruined, so I guess everything got done OK. If I have any worry at all it’s about throwing good dress shirts in the college dryers that will fry them and on a far lesser scale, since I hung almost all t-shirts for the ease of doing laundry, does he even have a clue of remembrance about how to fold?!?</p>
<p>Son had not spoken to D15 since he left until last night on the ride home from school. (S had called me to tell me something about his day). She said he won’t even respond to his facebook comments and so she is mad at him. H said he hasn’t spoken to him either. So, seems like I am the one getting all the interim questions and stuff.</p>
<p>Today D15 has a lax clinic (a couple of varsity players are helping coach with youth) then it’s off to a basketball mini-tourney with games at 1 and 3. She basically makes a schedule and since she doesn’t drive, hands it off to us as if we will magically get her to wherever she needs to be. It’s an accurate assumption, but sure does make planning around her schedule difficult. Plus… H and I wanted to go to a movie tonight. Seems having a date around here is next to impossible still.</p>
<p>lindz–what an awesome moment! Kids like that don’t happen by accident</p>
<p>Modadunn–I was just trying to crack a joke about how D’s BF gets the majority of the stamps. I guess I am nosey enough to ask…</p>
<p>Back on laundry, son emailed today and said one of the funniest things at college for him is watching other kids (learn to) do laundry. He said a highlight was watching a freshman boy both wash and dry a load of jeans using the “permanent press” cycle. I wonder if they’re dry yet…</p>
<p>Gee… a college dryer with permanent press mode? My son’s text said do I dry on high or low? I didn’t think they had another option… like maybe medium?</p>
<p>H, D1, D1’s BF and I moved D2 into her freshman dorm on Tues. While us girls were organizing the room, the boys went off to explore. They found a freshman girl in the laundry room trying to figure out where to put the soap. (In the correct machine, thank goodness). I wish I would have been there while they tried to explain colors and temperatures etc. Turns out another mother had stumbled on the scene and videoed the hilarity. I’m sure it’s on Youtube.</p>