<p>WOW, you guys are busy here. Just chatted with DD on FB. She is doing well and having a good time. They just celebrated a B-day for one of the guys on her floor. They were also playing “ramen tag” very much like “gotcha” on Greek. She was laughing that her life was mirroring one of her favorite shows.</p>
<p>Will be on the road again for a while and don’t know how much I’ll be here, so this is my bookmark.</p>
<p>Talk to you all as soon as I can. Hope all your kids keep healthy and happy, not hungry and out of trouble, and of course…studying hard.</p>
<p>I didn’t ask about the midterms during the weekly call, which was a day late since D had her first migraine since leaving on Sunday. She has been doing a great job trying to control the triggers, so maybe this one crept up like the upcoming tests are…</p>
<p>Starting to straighten out the nest for D’s visit next weekend, that short part of it when she will actually be home! She will probably arrive, dump off laundry and all her summer clothes, then go off to the big XC meet in the city to cheer on her former teammates…</p>
<p>Last Son and I watched the two hour premier of House “together.” Actually, hundreds of miles away but texting back and forth. There was a guest appearance by Lin-Manuel Miranda and both of us are big *In the Heights *fans and Lin-Manuel rapped and House even rapped and Son texted in rap and it was a lot of fun.</p>
<p>Are we the only ones whose home computer is so old that it doesn’t have a camera? Seems like we just bought it but I guess Son was in middle school at the time.</p>
<p>Our home computer is so old that we just turned it off and unplugged it. Everyone has a laptop, which leads to people curling up individually with their computers.</p>
<p>On the mid-term front, no anxiety yet about them. DS is still taking things on a day-to-day basis and is anxious about not having all his stuff in audio form yet. Asked me to check his grammar and spelling on a 1 page paper last night (he’s really dyslexic and just doesn’t see some stuff). His grammar and spelling are so much improved from 5 years ago it is stunning (many orders of magnitude). Still a few homonyms that Word doesn’t catch (your v. you’re) and insufficient use of commas, but his first draft was so presentable it made me feel good.</p>
<p>On mid-terms and first papers: at the Parent’s Orientation the college president advised parents that “many kids will have never gotten a C and there’s a good chance that will happen now. He said it is time for that. Most first-years see a significant decline from grades they had in high school and this is a good thing. And it typically doesn’t last. And when it does we look into what is happening. And that is a good thing. But don’t panic and don’t let them panic…”</p>
<p>I remember being shocked at the difference between college and high school work and grades and have seen my kids wade through this too and do agree it is a good thing. So if your kids are fretting in anticipation, maybe letting them know that it is a part of moving up and moving on to a new level of work would be helpful. For those who have been dazzled by all the college extra-curricular distractions, I think a few bad grades often get them focussed and prioritizing too. It takes awhile to get a rhythm…</p>
<p>missypie - our home computer is the same as yours We did however buy a small camera that hooks onto the top of the monitor and this works fairly well. We’ve used skype many many times, to talk to family overseas - it’s nice to be able to see folks. We used skype to talk to a friends’ D who went to WUSTL this year…as far as I could tell, the kids spent most of the time making faces at each other! But it sure was cool to see her dorm room and the graduation gift we gave her was in use!!</p>
<p>Our oldest and original computer, which is now mine, was also bought when S1 was in 5th grade and he’s now a college senior! Gotta hand it to those old IBM Aptiva’s.
Now that S2 has flown the coop this fall, I’m SUPPOSED to take over the big scary new HP media center thing that was his, but other than installing Skype on it, it’s so intimidating to me that I find myself back to the old clunker.</p>
<p>As to Skype, I find conversations kind of awkward and uncomfortable on it. I don’t know if it’s bc he’s not totally at ease talking to his laptop where others might over hear or something else. We’ve only done it twice but I’m not exactly looking forward to the next time. I’m wondering if this is still the separation process going on and he’s holding himself apart so as not to ‘lose’ his independence.</p>
<p>We also use an attached “eyeball” camera for Skype.</p>
<p>No news yet on midterms. D2 has been attending mandatory study tables three times a week. Says her classes are just now becoming a little “harder”. Her bio class is a stretch for her since she hasn’t taken bio since her sophomore yr in HS. She’s working hard so that’s all we ask! Econ is a little tougher for her too as she is having difficulty understanding her prof’s accent. Haha…she has her mom’s ear! My family says I have “creative hearing” . They won’t let me sing because I always have the wrong lyrics!!!</p>
<p>I hope your family has seen the *Saturday Night Live *sketch on the Mom Celebrity Translator (“the perfect gadget for people with moms”). You type in what Mom says, e.g. “Joe Gironimo” and it gives you the name of the celebrity she’s talking about: Jake Gyllenhaal.</p>
<p>Missy… I LOVED that skit. Mostly because it’s so true!</p>
<p>About college level work: I honestly think the transition to college level work is mitigated (or hindered) by classes you take in HS and the rigor of the high school in general. Of course, I also think the most important skill out there is time management. Son says those who are feeling swamped seem to be trying to study with friends in the evening. He hits up the library in the afternoon before going to work out. But it is also true that he hasn’t had so much as a quiz (except for problem sets). He has been conferencing with his English teacher but doesn’t turn in any work for a grade until midterms and he hasn’t mentioned when that is. </p>
<p>What’s kind of bugging me is that he won’t tell me when finals are so I can book his flight home for Christmas. Actually the round trip would be back to school after thanksgiving and then home for Christmas. Really starting to bug and obviously, now I’ve missed the “sales.”</p>
<p>It would if I knew which classes of his had finals - and when exactly he had class. They publish a schedule that goes: if you have class from 9-10 MWF your final is…</p>
<p>And when I asked him he said it wasn’t on a syllabus. ANNOYING</p>
<p>I’m like our new friend momiac (Hi!!) … lurking mostly, but very appreciative of the input here. Unlike lots of you, I only hear from my S after a few gentle proddings, and that’s only through e-mail. Again, like momiac, DS was among the missing through his last semester of HS and through the summer, so the adjustment to his absence due to college isn’t as great as I’d feared. Yet, I still really miss him.</p>
<p>From what I gather, he’s having a great time meeting lots of new friends, exploring the city and enjoying the new fitness center on campus. He’s been glad he knows how to do laundry, mail a package and transfer money online while he’s watched others struggle with similar mundane life things. His course load is “heavy”, but he thinks he’s doing okay. I have no idea about grades and exams at this point; probably won’t until all is said and done. He is so well adjusted that he casually mentioned in his last missive that he had gotten sick “a little while ago” and was finally feeling better. What?!</p>
<p>I figure at some point, the novelty will wear thin and since he’s an only child who never had to share anything, he may head home for some sleep and alone time before long. Here’s hoping anyway! ;)</p>
<p>In the meantime, H&I are enjoying a kind of honeymoon period. We’re going out to movies in the middle of the week (!). Grabbing dinner at nearby places and running out for ice cream in H’s new sports car (yeah, midlife, it happens) while the weather holds. We’re even planning a trip to WDW, just H and me :)</p>
<p>I’m more than a little envious of the attention you guys are still getting from your kids. But I have to remember my S has been like this all along. And ultimately, what’s happening now is exactly what we worked so hard for.</p>
<p>Well, I’m more than a little envious of the relationship that you and your H have been able to maintain! And don’t know when we’ll get to WDW again! (Son really wants to get to *Disneyland *when they have the Haunted Mansion decorated with a Nightmare Before Christmas theme.)</p>
<p>I still receive almost constant emails from Princeton Review, telling me about colleges my son might like. Here’s the one I just received, about a new major at a state u:</p>
<p>The Bachelor of Science in Alcohol and Drug Studies </p>
<p>^^^HAHAHAHA!!
Welcome SueD! If it’s any comfort, our older S did the same thing - told us about an illness long after he was better.
D, however, remains in constant contact.</p>
<p>Modudunn–one thing I remember from years again (don’t remember if I did it or just read about it)–is to tell your S/D that you have found a cheap ticket and if they do not tell you their schedule and the price goes up that they pay the difference. I know that would work in my S’s case.</p>
<p>We’re sort of on a second honeymoon here too. Skyped with D last evening, reminded her we’d be there in 2 weekends, and her face just lit up. That’s the value of Skype – to be able to * see * that joy.</p>
We did however buy a small camera that hooks onto the top of the monitor and this works fairly well. We’ve used skype many many times, to talk to family overseas - it’s nice to be able to see folks. We used skype to talk to a friends’ D who went to WUSTL this year…as far as I could tell, the kids spent most of the time making faces at each other! But it sure was cool to see her dorm room and the graduation gift we gave her was in use!!</p>