<p>Oracoj I am so jealous you are only 25 minutes away. My DD is 7 hours and I miss going out to dinner on a whim.</p>
<p>Hi everyone! After years of lurking (and enjoying reading about you and your kids), I’ve finally decided to join in. I hope that’s okay.</p>
<p>My D is a freshman at Bryn Mawr. She’s my only daughter (I also have three sons) and I really miss her. She’s been struggling with scheduling conflicts and making friends which is not helping. I wish we could fast forward to next week when I’m sure things will be so much better!</p>
<p>I’m excited that I will get to see her tonight when I drop off some old oriental rugs for her huge common room. I hope that she will have a happy update for me!</p>
<p>Welcome PBFs! Yes, we welcome all silent readers and encourage everyone to share your thoughts. My DD is about a ten minute Septa ride from yours. It is a great place to go to college. She is so busy having so much fun that I am not hearing about it. Or so I tell myself.</p>
<p>Panama Rocks looks like a really great place. I had never heard of it.</p>
<p>DS came out of radio blackout late last night to request his drumsticks (not the poultry type) in a care package. Apparently his two roommates are also musical. </p>
<p>I came to the epiphany last evening that although my kids are the world to me, I am no longer the center of my twins’ universe, and probably haven’t been for the last fifteen years. They have entered an Alternate Universe, where Mom and Dad are sort of an afterthought perhaps a couple times a week, especially while doing laundry or balancing a financial account. Out of sight, out of mind, like with a two week old newborn. They are now completely occupied with this new stage of life. But if true, that means we have successfully done our job. Right?</p>
<p>DDHM - that’s exactly right. the more successful you have done your job, the sooner you are out of work!</p>
<p>I’ve been telling my friends that raising emotionally balanced, independent children is highly overrated 
- jk</p>
<p>DD is 10 hours drive from home. No quick dinners for us either.</p>
<p>Great updates! And of course we welcome all lurkers!! </p>
<p>All reports from S3 are positive. He is considering changing from the lighter calculus to the physical science type Calculus. </p>
<p>D1 and S2 were 1-2 hours away and once or twice a quarter or semester i would take them to lunch, shopping or bring the dog for a visit. S3 is 7 hours away so that isn’t possible. I did make reservations for Parents Weekend October 2nd.</p>
<p>Our parents’ weekend is in February! Definitely won’t see D2 until winter break, but this year D1 is going to her boyfriend’s for Thanksgiving, so I’ll be down 2 kids then. Classes start tomorrow, and I haven’t heard what the final schedule is yet (I think it is being finalized today).</p>
<p>For both my older 2 kids, the summer after freshman year was the only summer they came home. After that, it was working elsewhere, or study abroad. It’s all bittersweet - pride in them and sad at them being further distanced from us.</p>
<p>Haven’t posted much, since my D is going SO LATE. We are just packing now and have started dorm mountain in the dining room. I love reading about everyone else’s kids start. I know I will miss D terribly, and I am secretly thankful I have this week with her when all her friends have already left.</p>
<p>Here’s hoping everyone has a great semester, or quarter, or whatever.</p>
<p>M2k2d: Don’t let her forget the running shoes that are too dirty to keep in her room but rather are in the hall closet and easily forgotten to add to the dorm volcano. Not that I would know anything about that…</p>
<p>I found that many kids are bringing their instruments/music these days; many dorms have music rooms, and they are playing together.</p>
<p>Here is a great piece for parents about the move-in. I think I could have written it!</p>
<p><a href=“http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/09/01/girls-dormify-boys-just-move/[/url]”>http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/09/01/girls-dormify-boys-just-move/</a></p>
<p>I haven’t cried yet, I’m not sure why. We just made it home late last night from the whirlwind of move in and Parent Orientation - all in torrid heat that I am not used to. I teared up a bit when we said goodbye in her dorm room Sunday morning and she did too. I had to do the driving on the way home, so I couldn’t break down then. Walked into the house and went face down on the bed for a 3 hour nap - something I have never done before. I think I was emotionally and physically exhausted.</p>
<p>I feel so lucky that I have received two pictures via text already!!! She said she is having so much fun. But my mind is racing with all the things she needs to get ready before classes start. When we left, her little desk was just a mound of stuff piled on it - not put away or organized yet. I’m not sure she even knows where her pens and pencils are! Let go, let go, let go is my mantra</p>
<p>
We’ve found flying on Southwest to the be the best option for my S (now a college senior). The best thing about Southwest is that you can change your flights without paying penalties. S has wanted to change flights SO many times - a class that was scheduled for a late final ended up having a paper instead, profs cancelling class before Thanksgiving, needing to get back from break early for an EC, etc.</p>
<p>DD starts classes tomorrow. She is scared, worried, nervous…suddenly thinks everyone else knows more…I had to remind her she did fine in High School and will do fine there…ahhhhhhh…this is difficult, being so far away…but, I thinks this will be so good for her…I remember my first C…first semester, first paper…did I feel awful…but, Junior year…had the same teacher…he remembered me…I got the A…and a note at the bottom “you have improved!”… College is such a growing-up time! I wish all of our kids well, and to use the time wisely and enjoy the growing, even when it is scarey!</p>
<p>Agree with Southwest. I already have D’s ticket for coming home winter break, even though I am not sure when she is coming home yet, but I know I can change it if necessary. There are only a few flights a day from the most convenient airport and I am afraid the Saturday flights will sell out. Plus I have a Southwest credit card so I have accumulated a lot of points for flights. They have been good at holding connecting flights for us when out flights were delayed. I thought I posted this response before, but don’t see it. Maybe I posted it on another thread? I’m losing it!</p>
<p>Hang in there drmom!</p>
<p>I got a call today from D buying stamps from a machine at the post office. She had never actually bought her own stamps before and wasn’t sure what kind she needed for a regular letter.</p>
<p>TVenee, Yes! The baby gave you away! It was so nice running into you and your beautiful baby and daughter. When I saw you, you looked SO calm and the baby was being so good. </p>
<p>mamabear, I got a call from son about buying batteries! He didn’t believe that they were so expensive-lol. Funny how they take things for granted when they just have to reach into a drawer at home.</p>
<p>We all cried the night before we left! GF was here and stayed to watch my dd when we left for the airport in the middle of the night and we could not look at each other without crying. When it was time to leave DS in NYC, I amazed myself by not crying but it’s incredible how strong we can be for our kids because I knew that if I had cried, DS would have cried too so I held it together and once at the airport, I was just too exhausted to cry alone.</p>
<p>Move in for us was the hottest I have ever been in my life! Son’s room was bigger and cuter than I imagined but it was so hot even with 3 fans. I hope it cools down soon. Everyone told me to just do a bb&b order but I packed and shopped as much as I could at home and that was a blessing because the store in NY was a mad house! Since DS was on a preorientation trip, I did most of the shopping without him and was so happy I only had to pick up a few things. I wish I had a picture now of dragging a 5 X 7 rug around NYC. We held it across our lap in a taxi. Unlike TVenee, I never did get to take the subway! The day I planned to take it to Target and Costco, it was raining so we ended up taking a cab but quickly learned shopping in NYC means not buying more than you can carry! </p>
<p>I miss him every single minute! He is having some issues with not getting the classes he wanted and feeling alone so I hope things start to turn around for him. He texts me a LOT but as soon as the texts slow down, I’ll know he is getting adjusted. </p>
<p>Good luck to those of you launching soon.</p>
<p>Finally got to “facetime” with my dd last night. She is exhausted because she is saying “yes” to every possible social opportunity! This past weekend was her first official weekend (without rush stuff) and she said she kept very busy “with her friends”. This is the second full week of classes so I think the reality of classes will kick in this week. We were concerned about her adjusting socially and now that we are confident she is OK - we don’t start our conversations with “are you having fun” anymore - now it is “are you getting rest” or “how are classes”. </p>
<p>She did say that she cut her foot open running in her boots in the rain. I asked her if it was infected and she said “no, I used the neosporin from the medical kit you put together for me” HA! She said that many things have been used by others in the hall also! I knew I wasn’t wasting my time!!! :)</p>
<p>2 weeks gone now. </p>
<p>We had a big party this past Friday celebrating the sending off of kids to college. Lots of wine and food. Some of us are empty nesters now while others still have 1 left to send off next year. Everyone in our group seems to be doing great…both parents and kids.</p>
<p>My brother stopped by and saw son yesterday and took him out for breakfast. Said he looked incredibly happy. Son played BINGO Friday evening, football tailgate and game Saturday, movies in the lounge on Sunday. I think that he has been staying up really late on weekends doing things with friends.</p>
<p>1st day of classes—report: “Okay…should I buy the books from Amazon or the bookstore…they are really expensive!”…I take this all as a sign she is adjusting…phew!
a party…that’s what I need!</p>
<p>S3 is joining a frat. D1 was in a sorority and had a good experience, S2 had no interest.</p>
<p>Ds told us yesterday on Skype that he’s actually getting more sleep than he did at home. I think that is a testament to his late summer nights trying to squeeze every bit of fun that he could out of those last days with friends. Socially, he’s adjusting great. Academically,we’ll see!</p>
<p>FIDO It was great to meet you and your family as well. I texted with my daughter and she said your son is welcome to join her group for meals etc anytime. She said everyone is very welcoming, and that many times she just walks up to a group, asks if she can join, and hasn’t been turned down yet. She said everyone is new and finding their way.
You are so right about NYC. Traveling light is a must! We had to exchange a curtain rod and ended up carrying the rod through the subway. Bed bath and beyond was nuts but not to bad for us as we had reserved all of our stuff. Even still, they left off part of our order and they had to go find the items.
My daughter has had problems with scheduling too. Are you going to the family weekend?</p>