We are 3-3.5 hours away from UIUC. We did a one day round trip for our older D. We pulled up in front of ISR, & there were student helpers all over the place.
She went in to get her key, and meanwhile, we started to load up one of those big laundry carts with all of her stuff. The student helpers move the families along quickly. Unload the car, then move it to one of the nearby parking lots, to make room for more drop-offs. T
There was a designated move-in day, and window of time on that day, but no exact time.
There was a wait for the elevator, to get her stuff up. She did not want or need us to hang around to help her unpack. So, we said our goodbyes and went to have lunch at a local restaurant without her. Sent one last text asking her if she needed anything, and we were off.
IIRC, she had her first LLC meeting/activity early that evening.
Welcome @zimmum - I am sure your DS is nervous about the change- and that is understandable. Is there a thread for his school on CC or facebook where he could start making connections with people- so he might start developing friendships to make the transition easier? Good Luck to you all!
Thanks @bookmom7 I had a chat with him this evening and I think heās probably going to set up a WhatsApp group with some of the new Freshman athletes coming in on the XC team heās going over to compete on. Iām hoping he may start to feel a little more comfortable and maybe excited to meet some new people.
Hey @Cheeringsection - thanks for the insight into your own experience with your son. @sseamom when I spoke to him this evening it turns out he is very worried about going in to Uni on a track and XC scholarship and having to live up to everyoneās expectations. He has always been a triathlete and ranked no 1 in this country and top 3 in Africa but with no NCAA funding for triathlon he has had to choose running instead although has never focused on it purely. Having always been the best here, he is worried heāll be the slowest there and wonāt be able to keep up etc etc. He has been to race at the Youth Olympics and World Championships but still seems to have lost all confidence in himself! Nothing I say is helping, feel like its best to just give him space and hope he comes round! He is going to Drury University in Missouri so its not a hugely competitive school and is Div 2 so he should be fine.
@eh1234 he graduated last year November after his Cambridge A Levels which is the system we use here so he has had a good length of time off to relax hope he comes round!
wow, wow, wow @zimmum -what an accomplished athlete!! I feel like I need to be cheering him on as he races. Sounds like you had a good talk with him & at least now know some more about his concerns. Continue to be supportive while giving him a little space to prepare & enjoy the next few months together!
haha thanks @bookmom7 he is more of a hardworker than that talented an athlete and remember we are from a small country so your opportunities of representing your country are much greater. He knows this and realises that he will be a big fish from a small pond being tipped into the ocean! Shame he also knows that without the scholarships he wouldnāt be attending college so will just have to bite the bullet and knuckle down!
@zimmum Welcome! Hoping things all work out well for your S.
Congrats to those with new graduates since I was last here.
As of last night, we have a new graduate in the house! Graduation went well, with coordinating getting the grandparents to handicapped seating, etc. Followed S afterwards (to his dismay) into the school and got a lot of nice pictures of him with friends (he insists I take too many pictures). Probably true but too bad. Sunday was the big graduation party - we had at least 65 people. It was supposed to storm all day but it held off until the last couple of hours so the kids got some time outside and the adults had several hours on the deck. It all went well. DH just left to take D to the airport - missing her already. We wonāt see her until August. We will drive up to see her once we drop S off for his pre-orientation program. Then head back to St. Louis for the official move in day and Convocation.
S is still without a job but has two interview coming up so that is progress.
Congrats for everyone whose children have found jobs. I tried to get DS to apply for a job at the movie theatre near our house, but he was less than enthused with my suggestion . Fast forward 2 weeks when he found out 4 of his friends are working there. One of them believes that they are still hiring so when we return home from Disney , heās going to check.
@zimmum Welcome!! I have not been here nearly as long as a lot of the other parents. I have found them to be really helpful and itās nice to be in the same boat so to speak. I really have nothing more to add about your son but it sounds like you are on the right track so to speak. I hope his fears subside soon.
Congrats about the job @Cheeringsection and the graduate, @PAO2008 ! And WOW, @zimmum your son sounds amazing! Iām glad you talked to him about his fears-itās going to be a sea change. Keep the lines of communication open and hopefully he will keep talking.
Today was the last day of classes for D. Her two finals went well, but she still has homework! She is in a math class with kids from several grades and the āfinalā is really a project that is due on Friday. Sheās in there doing it as we speak. Tomorrow is her last field trip-I just signed the last permission slip for it-to an āundisclosed locationā, lol.
@Midwest67- thank you for the info. We will probably do it all in one day, too. Iām feeling a little more clingy than usual with the baby. Iām hoping S will let me make his bed. Lol. Weāll probably hang around a while, too. With D, it was a good decision- she was horrible when we left her, but later had a list of things she wanted us to bring before heading home. They are all so different.
The GF will be at the school ādown the roadā. (1 hour away, but neither will have a car.)
Iām getting a little twitchy. Sheās 18, a high school graduate, going to far away, and our house and family is no longer where she needs to be. She will belong to a great, big world far outside of my control. The Stanford rape really hit a nerve for me. The victimās statement was so powerful and heart-breaking and, sadly, familiar. Iām obsessing on how can I protect my daughter while knowing risk is inherent with being independent. I sure hope this melancholy isnāt a preview of my whole summer. <>
@palm715 I so get you. I feel so much the same. I let her go to Ghana at 14, for heavenās sake, but this feels so different. Much scarier.
There was lots of crying tonight. BFF will miss her terribly, so they cried over that. Then the boyfriend cried for the same reason, they cried together. Other good friend was texting about how said HE will be, and we havenāt even gotten to the church friends sheās known since childhood.So then she came and cried about crying and how awful her make will look on graduation if she cries and THAT made her cry some more. The next few days are going to be rough.
Seriously, when is CC going to get a hug button?? I donāt like how hard things are for your family @sseamom, so interpret my ālikeā for a big olā hug!
How Iām feeling reminds me of when I first flew with my D. She was about four months old, and I cried for the entire flight because it suddenly dawned on me if the plane crashed I could not save her. The inability to protect was terrifying.
Thanks @PAO2008! So pleased to have found CC, I will be so grateful for the support as we draw nearer to the dreaded departure day! What insight do you have on Drury U or Springfield as I see your S is going to college in St Louis? I have never been to the US and we have only seen whatās available online and on social media and from contact with the admissions officer and coach. Wasnāt anywhere near his first choice but we had to go with highest scholarships awarded Iām afraid and seemed the best fit from the ones we could afford. Feeling so in the dark being so far away!
Great @livinginLA thank you! I look forward to some long hours in the same boat on CC as the rest of you! Hope itās mostly plain sailing!
@Cheeringsection congrats on your sonās job! Iām guessing this is a summer job before heading off to College in the Fall? Sorry Iām not too familiar with what happens in the US but hey, gotta start learning someplace! Because my S graduated in Nov last year he has had a coaching job at his old HS which is great, keeps them out of mischief and creates a bit of independence financially!
@sseamom my S is amazing, all our S are amazing but they are also moody difficult teenagers sometimes which is where they need their space and we need CC! Thanks everyone for the warm welcome
Sunday was the big graduation party - we had at least 65 people. It was supposed to storm all day but it held off until the last couple of hours so the kids got some time outside and the adults had several hours on the deck. It all went well. DH just left to take D to the airport - missing her already. We wonāt see her until August. We will drive up to see her once we drop S off for his pre-orientation program. Then head back to St. Louis for the official move in day and Convocation.
<:-P