@goldbug and @Kumihama-Cho - this is the med safe we got for my S22 and that I’ve now bought for S25. https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B017ROYKWK?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title
S22 says it’s easy to use, fits his pill bottle plus passport, checkbook, extra cash. It’s small enough that you can put it in a drawer if you want, but it’s got that handle thing if you want to lock it to something so the whole safe can’t leave your space.
Awesome! Thank you! I actually had that one saved so I’ll go ahead and get it. My Amazon cart overfloweth!
Also, thanks for everyone who shared that their kids have not reached out to roommates. I feel a bit better now!
It’s fun catching up on this thread as I feel that D25’s school is a bit behind a lot of the others here. Drop-off is still over 3 weeks away. The students just got their room and roommate assignments on Aug 1st. Leading up to that, D25 was worried that because she got her housing form in late (technically not late just after the priority deadline) she would get a terrible assignment. Luckily she’s really happy with what she got- a double in a medium-size house, one of the older houses on the Smith campus, which is what she wanted. Smith is overenrolled this year, so there are a lot of nontraditional rooms, which is what she and her roommate got-- it’s a converted “parlor”, and actually seems a bit larger than a standard double. So, she feels she lucked out!
@goldbug I’m also having wistful memories the days when buying their stuff was so easy (and yes they wanted to spend all their time with us!) Right now I am working for the week at a summer camp I’ve worked at for years. When D25 was younger she came with me for a week- it was a special mom-daughter experience. Being back here I’m surrounded by those memories, meanwhile we are texting/facetiming back and forth about college stuff. It’s so bittersweet!
I cried for hours today—the stress and the sadness and the change finally got to me. Move in won’t even be close to what I expected or hoped for, and it just broke my heart. SHE is ready. I am not.
Then I ordered pizza and drank a lot of wine and that helped but only very temporarily. Now I have a headache.
this hits hard!
They have a class schedule!
All seems reasonable and advisor did capture APs ok. I was a little worried as the academic advisor picks electives for semester 1. They have 2 electives in fall, one is right up their alley and other is so-so but a quick reddit search makes it sound like a solid prof and interesting content so probably will stick with it. (They can switch electives during orientation or by calling academic advisor).
I went to a school with quarters with no 1 or 0 credit mini-course type things, so it seems like a TON of classes at one time, but I guess it is normal for a semester system. It seems like they will be VERY busy…
I feel like this is pretty much how my next two weeks are going to go… I did so much better with my older child, but am struggling more with this one.
I’m trying to focus on positives - doing date night more often with my spouse, being able to travel whenever and not subject to school calendar, not getting up extra early to make breakfast and pack lunch for S25, being able to eat whatever I want for dinner, not having to harangue anyone re: homework, not having to sit through many hours of track meet for a sprint that is less than 15 seconds long, etc etc
It’s not really helping.
Relating hard to all of these posts! S25 moves in THIS Saturday. I am so much less prepared than I was for D22 – I think partially because she went 13 hours away, and he’s only going 2.
Still, we have most essentials, although only bedding is washed and packed. I kinda freaked out this week and bought a Brita pitcher (because will he drink water if it’s not right there?) and also one of the nice Sleepyhead mattress toppers because parents have started posting in the FB group that the mattresses are terrible. (Never mind that I had already bought a cheap mattress topper and opened it. 
) Also a bathrobe, because he sleeps in just boxers, and what if there’s a fire alarm and he has to leave the room in the middle of the night? My husband thinks I’ve lost my mind.
I made S25 choose 20 T-shirts yesterday, and he put aside 20 pairs of athletic shorts (let’s be real, that’s all he’s ever going to wear). And then I made him pull out two pairs of jeans, three other pants, three pairs of nicer khaki shorts, and five nicer shirts/polos. Socks and underwear and maybe a hoodie or two can happen last minute. (We’re in the south – nothing else is necessary, lol.) This is all sitting in a “staging area” right now, while all the other to-be-packed mess is on our dining room table. But my D22 discovered that putting shirts on hangers and just packing them that way is the easiest to unpack, so we’ll do that.
Oh, and he’s a kid that perpetually wears a baseball cap, so he picked 9 favorite ones to take with him. 
He has two pairs of good new sneakers with inserts, a pair of plain black shoes, and some Crocs. He’s not a sandals or slides guy. No shower shoes needed because he isn’t sharing a bathroom.
So, we’re getting there, but I still feel woefully under-prepared. Oh, but the kid did say to me this morning:
“I was talking to my friend, and one thing he said was really helpful in college is to make sure I have a shower head I really like.”
(He’s not the most rooted in reality, this kid.)
Yep me too…trying to focus on the positives.
We have two hours to move her in, and then that’s it. We hug her hard, and she is immediately off to do all sorts of preseason stuff. I won’t have time to help her decorate or arrange things.
Of course she is capable and can do it all herself and probably prefers to do it all herself…but wow it hit me hard.
We got one of the Sleepyhead type toppers (different brand but basically the same thing)…
Do they also need a mattress pad?
Ditto on the preseason move in and there just not being a lot of time (2 hours for us too). In some ways, I think it will be better for my kiddo than a longer process with lots of fussing from me, and like your daughter, he will be fine and excited. But enough time to get up and down the stairs/elevator and maybe make a last minute run to Target for something would be nice!
And yes, it hits hard and in waves. I think some of it is that I know he’s capable and ready. My logical side wants him to fledge and discover all the many things of which he is capable. Truly, I am so excited for all of our kids to find their paths into adulthood, but my emotional side is anxious for him, knowing that there will likely be hurt and challenges along the way. It still feels like yesterday that we were teaching him to dust himself off and keep going when he tripped and fell on the playground or whatever. But it’s pretty amazing to see how those small lessons as a small kid have evolved into bigger life skills for a big kid.
We didn’t do a topper but I do think that either way, you need something to encase the [maybe yucky] mattress. I bought something that goes all the way around and claims to stop bedbugs etc. We’ll put a mattress pad on top of that.
We have a different brand (Linenspa) topper. He’ll use regular quilted mattress pad on top of that. No encasement. We did this for S23, and it worked fine.
Exactly 14 days until S25 leaves–truly hard to grasp that. Thankfully, we had a great time in NY for five days and really had some quality time. We did all the touristy things but S25–being the science kid that he is–regaled me with facts about some of the buildings and their engineering. While in NY, I tried to take him to the “best” of everything: best pizza, cheesecake, etc., but his favorite meal was at a small local Italian restaurant in Brooklyn. Lesson learned! Now, I’m absolutely overwhelmed with getting things done before we leave. Time is running out. . . Good luck all!
The years of having multiple children in travel sports has prepared me for this moment.
D25 is packed to move to college 1000 miles away.
D22 is also packed to head back to his college for graduation another over 1000 miles away in a different direction.
we played jenga fitting everything into the minivan
Tomorrow is the test! Can we now also fit 4 adults and the bags we need for 5 days in clown car style into the already packed minivan long enough to get D22 and the hubby to the airport? Or will I have to make a separate trip to get them to the airport and then come back for D25 and the hopes and dreams packed into that car?
They get to fly to D22s graduation in one state while I make the drive with D25 to move her into her college. Immediately after the graduation ceremony they speed to the airport and fly to her college to help with move in at 7 a.m. on Sunday. The logistics aren’t pretty, and I’m sure the airlines will find a way to disappoint us, but we had to try to fit it all in.
This is some Jedi Master schedule and packing jenga. Go you.
I’m on the fence about asking for my son’s permission to retain access (officially) to his school portal. For now I only have parent access - I can see and pay bills but I won’t have access to grades. He’s always been a good student but from personal experience I know freshman year can be a big adjustment. So it’d be nice to see if things are trending down and can offer support if needed. Also, he’s a boy, and not to overgeneralize but his communication skills aren’t top tier. Maintaining access to his grades would help me feel connected. He chose a school that represents a significant investment for us, and for that reason also I’d like the assurance of knowing he’s taking school seriously without having to ask all the time. On the other hand, he’s pretty responsible and is ready for some space. Anyone willing to talk about how they’re choosing to handle this situation? Genuinely curious and trying to crystalize my thinking before I discuss it with him. TIA.
I went back and forth on this. I’ve always been hyper involved in checking grades and offering support and/or reminders, as needed. But I told my son that I would start with only the financial access. I told him that I trust his ability to manage his grades and school work. He will have to give us his grade report after each quarter for an external scholarship through my husband’s company, so at least we’ll get an update then. If the first quarter is a disaster we might reassess. I really want him to launch so I’m going to step back and let him know that I’m here if he needs me. Honestly, my anxiety is so bad that it would be bad for my mental health as well as my relationship with him if I could check and obsess over grades.
Thank you for this measured response. I completely understand your line of thinking! I had full access to his grades in high school but almost never checked them in the later years because he put plenty of pressure on himself. However since he’s going to be away from home now I feel this would be a little emotional crutch for me. I want my child to launch, too. I’m just not sure I’m ready to launch myself!