D25 moved in a week before classes started and did 2 intensive orientation programs and now has completed the first week of classes (she has no classes on Fridays). There has been a random text here and there (with 1 photo from the FDOC taken by campus staff with a group) but tonight I got a 90 minute video call.
She is liking her classes and her professors. Already her eyes have opened to people of different genders, religions, and ethnicities. The one orientation was more multicultural and she admitted she had never been around that many POC in her life (and she was sad when the POC were making what she felt were racist statements to those not of the same background). One of her very best friends is a gay male but said one of her professors being nonbinary was the first time she had truly connected and talked to a nonbinary person face to face (she is not negative at all about this but said she made the observation as I asked what was different about college). We then talked about adjusting to college overall. I asked how her friends were doing and admitted many were seemingly having a hard time being away from home and she’s getting lots of pictures of friends crying. I asked why she thought she was doing okay. I brought up if she thought being from a split house with joint custody helped. She said not really. She felt that she toured lots of schools and felt confident in her school choice which helped (some of her friends had dream schools they didnt get into). She also pointed out that the last few years we let her take ownership of her schedule and responsibilities and she didnt feel “babied” like some of her friends. She said the biggest reason she felt that she was okay was because she knew she had lots of support at home. She knows that she has me, her stepdad, her grandparents, and her dad that she can call and we will help her through things but not just fix everything for her.
She misses her car but understands why we didnt let her have it the first semester. The food hall in her dorm is closed this weekend and she is debating her food choices. She isn’t sure she wants to walk across campus or if she wants to walk or uber to the main strip in town for off campus food options.
Anyways, she is doing all the things I wanted her to do in college so far. Meeting new people, getting out of her bubble, and figuring out who she is. She even said she was going to go do laundry and actually separate the lights and darks for the first time in her life!