<p>Funny in a way, Bluejrjr ran across the room thinking I was crying because I was upset. I explained the last of our group was launching. Then all of a sudden I looked (up) at him (6’1" at 16!) and blurted out “you are such an amazing kid and you’re going to leave too…it’s going to be your turn and it’s happening so quickly. I’m going to blink and you’ll be launched.”. He hugged me and said “Mom you just blinked three times and I’m still right here with you.” 
How do you not melt at that. He has really stepped up the ‘taking care of mom’ since Bluejr left. Rumor has it the there was a discussion and the torch was passed. I am okay with this. I am blessed to have enjoyed special relationships with all my boys at different times in their lives. I’ll be the first to say that Bluejr took a huge focus of the last year. I’m really enjoying spending a lot of quality time with Bluejrjr now. Luckily he is still young enough to let me in. This new normal is shaping up okay. I may never get over not having Bluejr here on a daily basis, but I think I can learn to love the awesome things about this stage also.</p>
<p>Yay!! Big steps for blue!! We’re all in there with you, buddy.</p>
<p>momofboston – thanks for the thought (insurance for the phone) – I chose not to because D is so responsible (unlike her brother – I bought insurance for his phone, and when the screen cracked, I got a brand new one, no cost). I was due for an upgrade (Mom doesn’t need a fancy smart phone) so between that and the $100 rebate, it wasn’t too bad. And little fodder wing (all of you who saw The Yearling 100 years ago will get the reference) has had such a hard fall, I felt like I owed it to her.</p>
<p>Blue – you have the sweetest boy with the biggest heart! I bet he’s secretly loving his “alone” time with you too.</p>
<p>Classof2015 - I suspect this is true. You are also correct. This one has a very gentle spirit and a heart the size of Texas. Very unique for a third, and last, child. We thought it was innocence and he would lose these qualities, but they seem to be inherent to his personality. It’s an amazing gift to watch our children develop and mature. </p>
<p>Thanks for the encouragement guys! I love it here. :o</p>
<p>Ok, so now I’m crying, too. I promise it’s tears of joy and pride with no wallowing. D had such a tough time (emotionally) in HS and over the summer, and now she is just flying with no looking back. HS is SOOO yesterday!</p>
<p>S HS’14 better watch out. I might actually hug him when he gets home. No, never mind. He has not yet crossed the barrier from “water will melt me” to “the shower is the best place on earth.” I’m feeling weak from crying and don’t want to faint dead away from eau de JV XC.</p>
<p>Aww…blue…he sounds so adorable. S is 13 - so we have quite a few years left “alone” together. He is somewhat similar to bluejrjr - very concerned about mom, texted his sister and asked her to call when he saw me get upset and cry. One night, he saw me trying very hard not to break down and cry - he came over and put his arms around me, giving me a big hug. Oh boy, did I cry then!!</p>
<p>But, it’s been a month now and while I do have those pangs of missing D every now and then, we are slowly adjusting to the “new normal” as you put it.</p>
<p>
Bahahaha 
I supposed you are less direct then I am with my boys “Oh my gosh, you stink…really, REALLY, BAD.” while turning on their shower and physically pointing them in that direction. “Do you have enough soap in there honey? You are going to need a LOT!” Subtly doesn’t work well in our house.</p>
<p>@ arisamp - What a cutie! I think this is also the way they miss their older siblings. When Bluejrjr sees something he can do to make me feel better it makes him feel better about missing his brother as well. Your S13 may feel the same way. I do know that Bluejrjr has the distinct benefit of a more mellow mom at a younger stage then his brothers ever did. (relatively speaking…I don’t know that I’ll ever really be mellow, lol!) Being the youngest has it’s benefits!!</p>
<p>No, no subtlety here. Remember the movie ‘A Fish Called Wanda?’ S still feels at one with the scenes where Otto is sniffing his own armpits, and no amount of proffered soap and deodorant can compete.</p>
<p>Stop it. Stop it right now. There is no crying in baseball! (or as we look back and hum Sunrise, Sunset). I didn’t cry when I left D and I’ll be d***ed if I cry now. Ok, to be honest I got teary at the previous posts but pulled it together. </p>
<p>We are all so incredibly lucky to have our S’s and D’s, as well as this community. But now NO MORE SAPPY stuff. Don’t make me come in there.</p>
<p>OK, Kinderny here’s something to take your mind off this sappy stuff - ds txts me yesterday in a panic (he was actually on the phone with dh while texting me) because rumor has it that there were 2 dead bodies found in a town park on the other side of town (my town not his new one) and he’s worried about us, about his sisters… I do my best to google what I could find (nothing) on the net. FB friend of ds’ who is home this weekend is sure that it’s a serial killer. So basically (social media at it’s best) - everyone is running around FB and twitter confirming the deaths, confirming what they think happened…various scenarios are rumored…eyewitness accounts produced… Ends up there was some police activity but it was a home burgular who took off into the park and they were looking for him - and found him. Got to love social media right? (And bored teens in the suburbs with imagination.) Geez.</p>
<p>Good grief! Poor kayakboy! I can only imagine how upset that would make him.</p>
<p>OK, everyone with daughters: WATCH VERY CAREFULLY if they start BC pills. D says she feels like she’s done a 180 in just a few days of going off them, like the black smoke has cleared. I’m so relieved! She can be moody and picky about things, but it was getting ridiculous. D1 gets a prize for figuring this out!</p>
<p>Maybe someday she’ll find a dose that’s OK, but for now she’s saying as far away from hormones as she can. I’m just glad she figured this out fast enough that she can make up for lost time, hasn’t really dug any real holes, fortunately. We’ll see how her transition continues - I know the ups and downs will continue, but I’m sure it will be much improved.</p>
<p>After all of the gushing about sons above, I guess this is yet another benefit of having boys, the BO notwithstanding (although after 12 hours of summer marching band practice my girls could get mighty ripe, too!!).</p>
<p>Wow EB, that is really good info as D is planning on starting BCP soon (at my suggestion). I will tell her to keep an eye out for mood changes.</p>
<p>Poor, poor kayakS! That must have been scary. Even though it is a lot like the kids scaring each other in the dark with ghost stories- still feels frightening.</p>
<p>EB- Nice catch. Because BC pills have been around for such a long time, we can forget how much they can affect our systems. One poor woman I know got a yeast infection every single month until the dr. figured out it was the formulation she was taking! Not a pleasant time.</p>
<p>D actually sat in the lounge to watch TV with her hallmates. On the plus side they watched Clueless- a pop classic. On the down side, it was not The Big Bang Theory (which was on then too) and none of the women got the 80s jokes and pop culture references (e.g. the Brat Pack). She called to snark that “these are not my people”. I think she should start seeking others that like TBBT and create a Thursday watching party but know that suggesting that is the wrong thing (both the giving of advice and the knowledge that this is not going to happen with my introvert). </p>
<p>My mom asked me what my plans were for this weekend. I replied, “Not driving to Hampshire this weekend.” 
Crossing my fingers this holds true.</p>
<p>Yeah …</p>
<p>Kind of in the opposite boat to kinderny. D’s making noises about could she possibly come home, which just isn’t an option - too expensive, difficult, and in my opinion counterproductive. If she were a short car ride? Maybe. But she always wanted this, worked for it it, chose it. She has to deal with the ups and downs. Her school has no fall break, no extra time to make a visit worth it at all. </p>
<p>There is a family weekend around Oct 14. I can’t go - I have a work commitment. H could consider it, but really what she wants is to see BF, friends, pets, and us, a much better use of a plane ticket, except she’d get maybe a day, day and a half here for the several hundred dollars’ price tag. D1 and she are planning a weekend together, and she could take the train up to Boston to see grandparents - she’s just going to have to get creative and do a bit more teeth-gritting (if that’s what it takes). </p>
<p>I have to admit I’m crabby about this because she is a half hour from NEW YORK CITY - she does have some spending money and has more to do at her fingertips than any kid could possibly manage, whether she likes her school or not. I know there are lots of factors involved here, and we’ll just have to take this one step at a time. But I just can’t do a “princess” thing like fly her home from NY for a weekend “just because.” It really feels like a parenting mistake.</p>
<p>**The LAST new student move-ins were yesterday!!
All move-ins for the Class of 2015 are completed. The kids are all now settling in and getting acclimated to their new college life. Some are already nearing mid-term exams.
Today is the first day of fall so this countdown was completed just in time. :eek:</p>
<p>Move-ins are OVER. This daily string of countdown posts if OVER! :)</p>
<p>The link to the Move-in Date Thread is <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/1141579-hs-class-2011-college-class-2015-move-dates-6.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/1141579-hs-class-2011-college-class-2015-move-dates-6.html</a> 
**</p>
<p>Coming next - The countdown to Thanksgiving break will begin on October 1st. </p>
<p>Various informational countdown posts on HS classes of 2012, 2013, and 2014 dates and milestones will appear from time to time. :D</p>
<p>Stay strong EmmyBet! Don’t you wish we all had a few $ and the ability to be in NYC! I know I do!</p>
<p>Reading some posts I want to chime in–please don’t flame me…</p>
<p>IMHO it is very counter productive to be texting/phone calls etc with our newly minted college students so frequently…and they certainly have no reason to be coming home within the first weeks of being launched.
They have to adjust—Adjust to living their lives from under the wings of their parents…Adjust to handling social relationships, living accomodations, professors, peers, etc…
We can’t be “rescuing them” at every turn…
And WE have to adjust to not being “needed” on a daily/hourly basis. </p>
<p>If anyone here hasn’t already read it–I suggest you read the IConnected Parent. </p>
<p>Isn’t that what we want… independent, confident young adults who are able to negotiate the newness of life on a college campus…and use the resources there available to them
…and not calling/griping/texting/whining etc about every little thing?</p>
<p>No flaming from me fog! You make good points. That is the goal…independent, self assured young adults. </p>
<p>Just as learning to swim, some kids got there by jumping in the deep end and never looking back, some dipped their toes in for a week before they got in the water, some wore water wings, some used kick boards…there’s a lot of ways to learn to swim independently and there are a lot of ways to become and independent adult. The trick is knowing what is right for your kid. We have to be willing to let them be uncomfortable.</p>
<p>I second fogfog. It may not be a popular opinion. As a 30 something I moved to a new city. I was miserable for months. It was only when I decided that this was my new home, for better or worse, that I started to make friends. I asked people to join me for lunch, dinner, the movies, the beach. I had a small party, I worked out and joined clubs. Suddenly my new city felt like home. It wasn’t easy, but I did it myself and knowing I could do it then gave me strength the next time I moved or faced a new situation. Allow your kids to learn this lesson without your help.</p>
<p>No flaming- but we are in the BI camp: different strokes for different folks. Glad if your actions are having the desired outcomes. Ours sure are.</p>