<p>PN… We fly to Seattle on the 21st. My parents live there, and then we are driving to Vancouver to meet him. He posted on FB that he was “sad to be on the tail end of the greatest of adventures” It made me cry… I am just SO gosh darn proud, amazed, inspired by this kid.</p>
<p>5boys, I have really enjoyed reading his adventures. You have such an amazing man there, and I imagine you will have quite a nice fall getting to know the new him. Since he deferred for the entire year, what are his plans for the rest of the year? I imagine rock climbing, base camps or possibly exploring the Amazon???</p>
<p>Ooh 5boys I can’t imagine your excitement. </p>
<p>Hi Gwen! Glad your launch rocked!</p>
<p>Going to campus for a farewell Mass and then ar (the parents) are expected to vamoose. This will be the hardest for D and for us. Last night she had fun but is still wanting to come home, though she knows in her she is going to be okay. I hope.</p>
<p>PN… these are his plans for the year in this order…I think:-)</p>
<p>Take a nice relaxing train ride home on the coast starlight with his mom so plenty of stories and bonding can take place.</p>
<p>October… he is signed up to take a CPR for the professional rescuer class so he can work up in our local mountains on a search and rescue team.
Train for a triatholn and ultra marathon, do some rock climbing, and relax at home…LOL…sure…</p>
<p>November 1, he leaves for the month to do a Wilderness EMT class in Wyoming. </p>
<p>December… relax again and we all leave for a 2 week family trip to Costa Rica.</p>
<p>Jan-May… GET A JOB!!!</p>
<p>Summer 2013… hike Mt Rainer and probably some other high peaks…</p>
<p>The fun never stops… or should I say stress for mommy…!!</p>
<p>Wow, 5boys. You must be so excited!</p>
<p>“Only” 500 miles left to go … most of us would think a 500 mile hike extraordinarily long. What a story, 5boys!</p>
<p>5boys: Yay. Phew. Yay.</p>
<p>We Skyped for the first time with D last night. She was positively aglow with contentment. Said she and her 3 suitemates were “the most bonded of any suite in the dorm” – that they’d been studying together in their little tiny living room and were throwing a “black tie” party, which had required that they escort their new UVM Birkenstock-wearing eco-boy friends to Goodwill to buy $5 sport coats for the occasion.</p>
<p>Also, she’s acquired a gay boy best friend, who made a bright-eyed charming appearance during the Skype session. The girl wastes no time…</p>
<p>It’s so interesting to hear the variety of life stories from the parents. My mom was a stay-at-home, roommom type of mom. She did a lot for us, while my dad taught us that we could teach ourselves to do anything - to be independent. I wanted to do both for my kids and was lucky to be able to stay home with them and also encourage independence. The differences have been in other areas- while my mom was very old-fashioned and unable to speak openly about important topics (sex, drugs/alcohol, feelings, etc.) I have tried to be very open with my kids. I can’t imagine how my kids will parent but hope they end up having close relationships with their kids like we have.</p>
<p>So, here is a problem my D has encountered at school. It seems that on the weekends, many kids go to parties or to the bars. She is not a drinker, but would like to go out with her friends. BUT, you have to be 19 to go to the bars. She knows of many kids with fake IDs who go to the bars. I’ve told her she needs to find some additional friends! There have to be plenty of kids without fake IDs that are not 19 yet. She, of course, does not believe this. Ugh. I know there is nothing I can do to alleviate her problem (as I’m 1000% against fake IDs) but it’s hard to hear her so unhappy on Saturday nights.</p>
<p>It’s been great to read about your many successful launches. I’m expecting and hoping for the same, when S flies away in a week and a half. It’s his last day of work today so it will now be time to face packing and finishing up his list of to-dos. </p>
<p>I just finished tidying up D’s room from her departure a week ago. I’m remembering the tears that came when I did the same after she left for her 1st year of college. It was much faster and tear-free this time so it does get easier. I imagine there will be a few tears shed when I clean up S’s room too.</p>
<p>Another Mom who was a latchkey kid. My Mom and Dad divorced when I was 7 yrs old and my Mom went back to work. She left before we got up in the morning and got home at 5. My older sister did all the cooking. As we grew up the oldest female living in the house was in charge of getting dinner on the table. I was the only one in my group of friends whose parents were divorced and whose Mom worked outside of the home. Saturday morning was reserved for house cleaning and laundry. We all grew up knowing how to figure out what to make from dinner from what was in the freezer and fridge. We all knew how to do laundry and clean a house. We were extremely independent. The older kids taking care of the younger. I never had a birthday party. My Mom was too tired to plan anything. I did have two older sisters who mothered me. They sewed for me and cut my hair and made my birthday cake. For college advice we were on our own. We had money from the VA and Social security for college based on my Dad so money was not a concern. My oldest sister and her H took me on college visits. My Mom never once asked me while I was in college what courses I was taking.
I stopped working when my oldest was a toddler. I wanted my kids to have a different growing up experience. I volunteered in the classroom. I took them to lessons and sport practice. Things I missed out on growing up. I consider myself pretty well informed on the college search process and I think my kids benefited from it. I would still consider my kids independent but I know I do for them things they should do for themselves. It is an area I am working on.</p>
<p>“I would still consider my kids independent but I know I do for them things they should do for themselves. It is an area I am working on.”</p>
<p>LOL! This is exactly how I feel!</p>
<p>5boys- Awesome journey for your DS! This will be a year he will never forget and will help shape his life. What a wonderful gift you have given your DS!</p>
<p>Mom60, geogirl1, That’s how I feel as well. If she hadn’t been raised to be independent-and confident-there is no way my kid would be where she is now. She has crafted an experience for herself (and make no mistake, she was the one who crafted it) that demonstrates her ability (and desire) to be self-reliant. I need to put my faith in what I know–and not get sucked in–by what I fear.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Agree 100%. S is only an hour away but I told him to stay on campus at least the first month or so, to get a feel for what’s happening and what he can do, meet people, etc. A lot of his HS friends who are in college within a couple of hours’ drive came home for Labor Day weekend. He did not.</p>
<p>(Though one of his besties visited HIM on campus this weekend so I think that was cool).</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I was a latchkey kid. I started a business that allows me to work from home so I was always home after school. So I guess I swung the other way a bit.</p>
<p>But I think I also encourage a lot of independence. I put the cereal bowls and sippy cups down low so as preschoolers they could reach them and make their own snacks, I got them alarm clocks at a young age so they could get themselves up for school, I taught them to do laundry and they did their own from around age 10.</p>
<p>But I also liked being here to help with homework if needed, take them to after school stuff, watch all the games and concerts. My parents didn’t really do that stuff, but I also lived in a large city with great public transportation so I really didn’t need them to.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>My son is very close to his sister, who is eight years older than him. He is now at the same college she attended. I found out that they have been in very close touch. He was calling her every day at first and I think she’s stayed in close email/facebook touch as well. The first few days she was writing funny messages of encouragement on his wall. My daughter works very long hours and I’m happy that she’s made herself so available to him at this time. I had to laugh, though, when the night before classes began she said to me, “He has a 9:00 a.m. class. I hope he gets up in time.” I didn’t even know what time his class was and I just thought that was such a helicopter-mom thing to say. But she can say things to him without coming off as a helicopter mom. It’s very nice to have that older sib dynamic.</p>
<p>Jaylynn; Hope mass went well. Catholic schools are funny. Let’s pray, then get the heck out of here, parents!! 
We just got back home today. Loyola has had S so busy with orientation stuff he didn’t have time to do much of anything after we got his room done, other than get to his meetings! Keeping them busy is good. SD is beautiful today. I think your D will come to love it here.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>What?! You’re not going to tell him to walk home? ;)</p>
<p>GwenF: Glad to hear move-in went well. Bummer about the purse, though.</p>
<p>Mommymommy … I love hearing how your D is adjusting to Burlington. Sounds like she’s figured out the important stuff … farmer’s market, Vermont products, boys, and good roommates. I hope her year continues in a positive way!</p>
<p>5boys … enjoying the train ride! I hope he’s not too tired to talk. :)</p>
<p>Wow, the list of students still to be launched is quickly nearing the end! I don’t know how those of you still waiting are doing it with such patience!</p>
<p>As for Bingo letters - maybe I can get one: while my DS has been in limited contact with us (which really isn’t a problem for me, I really want him to get settled at school), he did call the other afternoon to talk to his little sis and let her know that he’d received and loved the “Back to school” cartoons that she drew using his dorm’s mascot as the subject. He told her he shared the comic with some of the guys in his section and they all thought they were funny. She was SOOOO excited! Also found out from both sets of grandparents that he has called them each (without any prompting from me) to let them know that classes are going well, he’s got some nice friends, he’s finding lots of activities and opportunities on campus, and he just wanted to thank them again for the graduation gifts that he is using (computer and musical instrument.) YAY!!</p>
<p>5boys- What an amazing experience your son has been having. Enjoy your trip to meet up with him and bring him home. </p>
<p>GwenF-What a shame to have her purse stolen right before leaving. What a hassle! Hope it was easy to resolve/replace what was taken.</p>