As long as I have lived overseas (20 years now) our parents and relatives have worried about our safety. Where we live right now in Asia is safer that most places in the US. However, recently our elderly parents, other relatives, and friends are more worried. I just remind my mother that at least we don’t live in the middle east anymore, but it was unstable there then too, and despite outward assumptions, we did feel safe there. I agree, we need to encourage exploration in our kids (with common sense and precautions of course), and we can’t let fears, many unfounded, block amazing opportunities.
D is in Paris this summer. I am more concerned about her safetyin Paris than I was last summer when she was in Peru and South Korea. :-S
@Sally22 you shouldn’t be. Statistically, staying in Paris is much safer than staying in the U.S. and driving a car.
Being parents, we will ALWAYS worry. If we are done worrying about our kids, there are always nephews and nieces and neighbor’s kids to worry about 
! Such is the power of the invisible parent gene! 
What would be great is - if all of you whose kids are going abroad on their own, post one topmost thing your kid discovered / learned about themselves. It would be a great kaleidoscope of how they have grown over the years! Post if you would like to share.
My D is coming home from 2-1/2 months in Europe. She took a month long class in Spain through her school and then traveled for fun five weeks after. We (the family) visited her in Spain for two weeks after her class to celebrate S17s graduation. She has also been doing research on recycling practices in different countries for her capstone project and she actually got funding for some of the travel! She comes home tomorrow for two weeks before heading down to Chile for a semester abroad. If she come up with any gems, I will be sure to share. She did text me recently that she learned that she likes stouts and porters better than lagers and ales if that counts! (She is legal to drink in Europe.)
hello to '15 well D is heading back to school. This was her last time at home for an extended time we were informed that the"Midwest" is not in the cards post graduation
forgot to add the screen timed out I hope all of our Juniors have a great year and this time next year we all be planning for graduation
Daughter is here at our summer home after her 10 week REU. She had a summer of a lot of learning and the experience helped her get a better idea what she wants to do for gradate school. It is so great to be with her as it has been a long time since winter break. She seems so grown up. She heads back to school at the end of next week and we head back to Asia next weekend after we take her back to school. Summer goes by soooooo fast. It is amazing that third year is about to begin. Best wishes to all of yours as they begin third year!
It is amazing how fast this summer went by! D tried to get an internship but started the process too late and was shut out of most of them so she came home to her old job. But I happened upon the website of a wildlife rehabilitation center in our area that was still looking for interns so she applied and was accepted. It was for no pay, but the experience was invaluable! So she has something to put on her resume now and hopefully when internships open up in Oct/Nov she will have much better luck. Move-in is this weekend! Good luck to all the new juniors this year!
It does go quickly, doesn’t it? @ILMom13579, that internship sounds fascinating. I worked for a short period at the wildlife center in my area and it was an enlightening experience. Really amazing. Good for her!
My daughter is finishing up her internship this week and has a week at home before she heads back to school. It’s going too fast for me. I want to hold onto these years and slow them down even while I know it’s not possible and that I need to accept that she is growing up and away. But then I think I have felt this way since my older two were toddlers. Parenting is definitely a privilege and a joy but also bittersweet.
Good luck to all our rising juniors on happy, successful, growth-filled years!
My D is all set for the next summer. The family she work for this summer offered her a gig for next summer. She accepted. It is a pretty easy gig with cool kids.
Congrats to your daughter @jmnva06.
Today is the first day of classes for D15 and S17! It’s great that both schools are on the same schedule. My house is much too quiet, though…
So last week my daughter called me and told me the left side of her abdomen was hurting plus she was sweating profusely. It had started on Sunday (the pain) and the fever started Tuesday. Wednesday she let me know what was going on (and stopped by urgent care, but they told her that she would need an ultrasound or something so she should go to the hospital) and Thursday she said she wanted to finished classes (that is her busiest day) and then have me take her to the hospital. She didn’t finish her classes before she told me to come down (fortuneately she is only an hour away) and we went to the ER. Turns out she had a kidney infection that also spread to the blood. Antibiotics helped with that but also her heart rate was up so they did lots of tests on that. She spent a week in the hospital. She had let her professors know what was going on but we also contacted the Dean’s Office. She was released yesterday and I am having her go to her classes today (only two) and then we will bring her home for the weekend. She has a meeting with Dean’s office on Monday to figure out what support she can get to get caught up and what she might need from the Disability services.
@bopper how scary! Hope she recovers fully and quickly!
@bopper So glad you were close enough to get to your daugher quickly. I she has a full recovery and disability services is helpful.
Son is in London, so I have been getting reassuring texts all day, e-mail from the college and watching way to much news. I keep telling myself its my job to worry and his job to have fun, I am trying to worry less.
Wow @bopper how scary, for your daughter and you. Hope the recovery goes smoothly, physically and academically.
@Mom24boys that’s scary too! Hang in there!
@bopper - hope she recovers quickly and completely!