@shoboemom: I think you are falling into #CCthinking…In the billions of people in this world with less opportunities, your daughter has the ability to go to secondary education and you have found an affordable option. On CC you have this urge to get your kid into the absolute best school they can get into, but often being top quarter of a college is better than being in the bottom quarter of a more prestigious college. Most kids will be fine whereever they go!
I think I would have suggested some different colleges for my eldest knowing what I know now, but she graduated summa cum laude and is about to finish up her Master’s at Columbia so it all worked out fine!
@Momzie, same here. Daughter and I have worked out a plan to work out: once her daily routine is set, we’ll go work out “together” at the same time and compare notes later.
@3girls3cats - we were indeed warned about this phenomena during freshman orientation for parents and guess what - it does happen indeed. I think that it happened before as well, but since the kids were “dumping” all of this while being close to us, in person, and a few moments later we were seeing that they are OK , they just needed to vent, It was much easier for us. Dean of undergrads at my child’s college actually called it a “dumping syndrome”. So brace yourselves…
The thought of an empty nest is especially hard for me right now. Somehow, most of the time I manage just to ignore the inevitable with a Scarlett O’Hara “I’ll think about that tomorrow” approach. It helps that my neighbors all promise to share their younger kids with me whenever I feel the longing for a little teenage attitude around the house.
(((Hugs))) @EllieMom. I use that same technique and try hard not to think about it. I know it will be hard, but I want to enjoy the time we have together now, not be pulled down by the thoughts of what next year will be like. And I think about how happy I am that she feels confident enough to spread her wings and fly.
Maybe next year we will have an empty nest support group here… since we have to give the ship to the class of 2016, we can find a nice tropical island for our group, complete with cabana boys and fruity drinks.
@Kelowna - there was a time when my d’s first choice school was in the UK. Last year she realized she was NOT going to be ready to be across an ocean from home by 2015 X_X I think my h was more relieved than even I! I’m sure it will be an exciting time for your child, though. It’s wonderful to have such opportunities!
@smurfette99, @MamaBear16, and @shoboemom - next Fall will be tough for us. I feel for you and we will indeed need a support group :-h
@SlackerMomMD - we are flying. How about you? I’ve decided that d is just going to have to go LIGHT. Hopefully it will make moving-out day easier. We will rent a car and make a trip or three to Target/BBB but I am going to ship a box or two and fill 2 suitcases and just make it work. I can mail her things here and there as she needs them. For example, the snow boots we bought recently can wait to be shipped once the weather changes…
We have to give the ship back? I was never given written verification of this fact…perhaps I will become a cabana girl…I’ve grown attached to this ship.
@ClubAcres, I was thinking about driving because I couldn’t figure out the flying and driving bit. But now that you’ve explained things, I may change my mind. The only thing is we have a younger son, so I’ll have to price out four airfares. The college has emphasized to go LIGHT (small dorm rooms) so I’m with you there.
@SlackerMomMD & @ClubAcres, that’s what we are doing. It’s a 40+ hour drive, so that option was off the table. We are flying out (on SWA so we have quite a few “free” suitcases) and arriving a few days early and renting a car so we can do some shopping near the college. We may also ship one box via UPS since we checked and it’s not too expensive. The winter boots may have to wait if they don’t fit into the luggage.
We are flying too and definitely packing light. We were just at admitted students’ weekend and I noticed that the school newspaper included all sorts of ads about shipping and storage. It might be worth checking it out to see what works best. Several of the UPS stores offered shipping and storage services to their stores. You can pick the boxes up there and then take them to campus. I guess it depends on the campus mail services. In my experience, these are less reliable than UPS.
@SlackerMomMD, we’re leaving DS at home with friends because D’s move-in day is on a Monday, and S18 starts school the next day. Because the school will boot us out before dinner on Monday, we’ll be flying home Tuesday am in time to pick S18 up from school.
I’m in the Dreading September Camp, but we have many friends who could not wait for their nests to empty out and they promise us we will enjoy our new lives. Still, H and I can’t even discuss it between ourselves without getting all emotional. BUT, the kiddo is not privy to this! We joke with him about converting his room to a guest room or what we will do instead of going to HS football games in the fall. But honestly, we are dreading it. I am trying to remember what “hobbies” are, and wondering whether I should work more or less, and considering where I will volunteer once I no longer feel compelled to volunteer at the HS. For over 20 years I have set my alarm an hour before my kids, made them breakfast, packed lunches, and shouted I Love You as they bounded out the door. I’ve kept my mouth shut (and gotten a good laugh) about Things That Don’t Matter (choosing to sing a history presentation, untied shoes as a fashion statement, the short-lived Mohawk!). I’ve been resolute about Things That Do Matter. I’ve been frequently wrong about what matters and what does not. But I don’t remember life before kids and cannot imagine our house without them. I suspect we will just adapt to the empty nest like we adapted to every other phase of our lives, but I must admit, this is the first phase of my life I have not looked forward to.
We have to fly as well. Great minds think alike, we are going to rent a car as well and do the Target and BBB thing also. Fortunately, we already know where the Target is from the Student Admit Day. I think the hardest thing will be packing light.
I don’t want to think about D being away. With any luck I will be too busy looking for ways to earn money to pay to notice.
Although I do want to set it up with her that we still watch Once Upon A Time at tge same time so we can text during the show.
Btw, what are placement tests like? Do they need to review beforehand?
We are flying SWA also. In Fl, my D should only need summer clothing and we should be able to pack her clothing and pick up the other things at BBB and Target or Walmart.
I’ve been looking at shipping options for a few things that we may not be able to carry on the plane.
