@sseamom I am a huge chicken, a total baby. I do not want to embark on an adventure. I want to hide with my head covered under a blanket. :((
Hugs to you, @sseamom. Thanks for leading the way.
Iām on my kneesā¦ with this crazy process of attempting to buy a required textbook with an access code.
D16 insists she wants a e-book (sheās being penny-wise and pound-foolish.) She doesnāt want a printed version due to cost. The way to buy an access code with a textbook (printed or e-book) is unclear. Is it included? There is no indication it is. The publisherās student-purchase options are completely indecipherable to me (loose-leaf books? cloth books?). Plus, there seems no way to buy them from the publisher. The college bookstore lists the books as being out of stockā¦20 days before school starts. Rental optionsā time-periods from Amazon end before finals do in December.
This is not going well for newbie D16 and clueless mom here. Any advice?
@dyiu13 Could you call the bookstore and see if they will be getting more in stock? I know when my book had an access code it said āw/ access codeā. But I donāt know if thatās true of them all.
What book is it? Does she need it for second semester as well?
My D rented the bio book from Amazon for two semesters. You just renew it.
Then she bought the online code from Pearson, I think you use the company that goes with the book?
New books should have the code included.
Now my D said something about the ebook access also being included with the online code.
Maybe have your D ask the professor or other students?
D16 also has some new-student activities that START at 9 p.m. Donāt laugh, but that is 30 minutes past her self-imposed very rigid bedtime. She needs it for mood stability.
I suggested she go to bed by 9 on her move-in day, claiming she is sooo pooped. Then, stay up late the next day for the activities. Then, get to bed at her usual 8:30 the next night, the ānight before classes start.ā As in: Gotta get up early!
At least she noted her 8:30 p.m. sleep schedule on her housing application, so I hope they matched her well with an early-to-bed roommate. Time will tell, eh?
Thanks! D16 has sent off an email the the prof. Sheāll call the bookstore in the morning. So, perhaps sheāll have a clear answer by end of day tomorrow. Fingers crossed.
Oh, @dyiu13, I dream of having a child with a self-imposed bedtime of 8:30 (my D21 comes close, but I feel this will change in two or three years). It warms a motherās heart to think of all those parties she WONāT be attending.
Son will report to college in 6 days. The dorm supplies seem to be under control. His job ended today at noon and he went shopping at BBB with me. He blew his ā20% off everythingā coupon on a small white board and a ādisco party ballā light bulb. I get a huge heavy feeling in my chest when I think about next week. He is packed except for his clothing and we are going to the beach for the next five days or so.
I have to laugh at the Ikea obsession. I knew exactly the cart you are talking about. I want the turquoise one which is available by mail:
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/30216536/
And:
https://www.pinterest.com/explore/raskog-cart/
Iām obsessing about the hutch they need to buy for their desks at his school. Vertical space is at a premium. He and his roommate have agreed to loft. Iāll be asking for a bedrail.
His roommate looks to be a good match. Theyāve texted back and forth a few times. Heās also in a major that will require good study habits.
@dyiu13 good luck to your D in getting her sleep! My D also goes to bed at that time, but tonight is her third night in the dorm and is up until midnight or beyond yet again. Some of it is planned activities that START at 9 p.m. or beyond, other reasons include hearing from friends here who are 2 hours behind her in time zones. Though she usually doesnāt nap during the day, she has already begun working on that. I think sheāll be going to bed earlier once school starts, and her roommate is an early sleeper too, so that should help.
Our experience with books so far: the school store checks Amazon and Chegg prices, then prices theirs ācompetitivelyā assuming shipping and possibly tax, so that you wouldnāt save that much by going elsewhere. BUT, for any class with a workbook or an access code, you are charged full price, period. No rentals, no comparison shopping. AFAIK, workbooks are not guaranteed to be unused with alternate sources, but at least our bookstore guarantees all pages.
The primary plus for ordering from the bookstore is that itās all done right there-no shipping, no return date, no boxing up, etc. But itās such a scam. One class may or may not require a workbook (Spanish), and if it does, they MUST be bought new for $150. I could see them on the shelf and some had clearly been used, but since they were returned with no pages written in and torn out, they can still charge full price. I donāt know what kids who are struggling with finances do.
I have just put my son on a plane from Africa headed to the US for his Freshman year. I wonāt see him for a whole year. I had read all the articles about saying goodbye and what to say and how to expect to feel. Well nothing prepared me for that day. My heart broke in two. The physical pain I felt in my chest was almost unbearable, I had a lump the size of a golf ball in my throat and I couldnāt get one single word out when I hugged him fiercely and then moments later he was gone. Walking confidently through the departures door to board his plane. Of course Iām delighted for him and know in my head this is the correct thing to do, let him go. But it was singularly the hardest thing Iāve ever had to do. Good luck to all the mums out there who still need to go through the goodbyes. Itās a natural thing to feel this way (I think, I hope!) a part of us is gently peeling away.
@zimmum yes, I fear it is normal to feel that way. I do hope it becomes more bearable for you with time.
@sseamom I too worry about the late nights but from the perspective that my son uses late night alone time to recharge his introverted self. Not quite sure he will get much alone time in a dorm so I fear where he may go at 2am to seek that solitude out. I really hope his roommate is an early sleeper so at least he will not need to leave his room and I hope the roommate can actually sleep with him still wandering about.
Enough worries! Letās find something (however small) that we are looking forward to in all this. Iāll go first. I am looking forward to knowing that my house will be dark, with all occupants blissfully asleep, between 11pm and 5am. I am certain my electric bill will decrease and I will sleep better myself.
We are also anxiously awaiting the utility savings.
@zimmum That takes a lot of courage for all of you. I hope that the transition goes smoothly for you. Please keep in touch.
After graduation, my night owl S decided to change his sleep schedule in preparation for college. He used to go to bed at midnight or later, but he now goes to bed at 9-9:30. I miss our late night talks! Ironically, he doesnāt have any early morning classes in his fall schedule.
@zimmum Good luck to your S! Please keep us posted!
@OspreyCV22 I have been trying so hard to not buy that cart for myself for years now.
@Cheeringsection - small things to look forward to, a hugely reduced grocery bill, reduced internet data bill and one on one time with my younger teenage son x x
@zimmum My heart goes out to you! Each parent experiences varying degrees of difficult in these situations but to know that when you child boards that plane that you will not physically see them for a year must be beyond excruciating! My heart goes out to you and I hope that we here can be a source of solace for you!
Hugs @zimmum !
Our kids will stay in touch, Iām sure. I recall leaving for a gap year and phoning my mom to learn how to bake a whole potato in an oven. I knew I had to oil the skin and poke holes with the tines of a fork. But temp and timingā¦dunno. She helped. Then a coworker recommended The Joy of Cooking. That was as close to Google as we got back then. 