<p>I was looking last night to book a ticket for D to return to school, and was feeling sad. I made an off the wall comment on how I would miss our 1100 mile road trip up there like last year and how I wish we could do it again. She said “let’s do it!” I know she does not enjoy the driving time, as it will be a rental car and she cannot help me with the driving, but just the fact that she wants to have that “us” time again makes me happy. I am happy to be able to see her new dorm arrangements and help her make her dorm bed once more. I am happy. :)</p>
<p>Remind me of how happy I am while driving the long haul home alone. :(</p>
<p>Have I said the word happy enough in my post? lol</p>
<p>Any other parents looking forward to another road trip?</p>
<p>I’m happy for you! Our trip would be 20+ hours of driving, but we loved doing it the first year and moving him in. I thought he’d want me to help pack up at the end of the year, but no. I hope we can pick him up at the end of the 4 years though. Enjoy!!</p>
<p>Oh, and get some funny CDs at your library to listen to on the way back, like David Sedaris or whatever you like best. That might help a little.</p>
<p>That’s great - glad you will have that time together. I just realized yesterday that, since D is taking a car to school this year, we will be in separate cars on the way. It is just 3 hours but I will still miss that last drive together. </p>
<p>I was going to suggest David Sedaris too for the drive home. He was my first choice last year for the drives from her school when I visited or took her back from breaks. He puts me in a good mood right away.</p>
<p>I don’t want to gender stereotype, but perhaps there is such a thing as a gender difference after all. I just can’t imagine my son (who is otherwise pleasant and nice) offering this…</p>
<p>I have two sons, but at times, I do wonder what would it be like to have a daughter. I just can’t help wonder if there would be much closer and special bond… (I am a mom).</p>
<p>Daughter shops with you. She calls when she knows dad is away on a trip. She shows you on Skype what she is wearing to a dance. She’ll do a spa day with you. </p>
<p>I am sure my H wonders what it would be like to have a son.</p>
<p>Not all daughters are like that I’m afraid. Mine certainly isn’t. I always assumed she would be as my relationship with my Mum was and still is that way. But my daughter is the complete opposite. I have friends with daughters at both ends of the spectrum and everywhere in between. </p>
<p>I love the car time on the way back from school because I hear so much interesting news and gossip. But I’m not sure what my daughter and I will talk about during our 7-hour drive on Wednesday; we’ve been together all summer and have kind of run of out of things to talk about.</p>
<p>I actually seem to get along with my daughter fairly well, although we are not much alike. I feel lucky about that. When I was the age my daughter is now, I didn’t get along with my mother at all.</p>
<p>I also have a son, but he’s 23 now and living on the other side of the country. No more informal car time. :(</p>
<p>mathson has earphones and laptop on - not much company! But S2 doesn’t like to read in the car, so he’s more talkative especially if you put music he likes in the CD player.</p>
<p>I have never been through a period in which I didn’t get along with my mother or in which my daughter and I didn’t get along. I am really grateful for that as most of my friends did not have the same experience. My mom and my daughter are also very close and they spend time together without me.</p>
<p>It looks like a big disparity between genders. D loves LOUD disco music as much as I do, and I can drive hundreds of miles listening to Donna Summer, Barry White, etc. </p>
<p>I know it sounds strange, but just thinking of this trip makes me tear up, that warm and fuzzy feeling. When we drive, I can put my hand over to her, and she takes my pinkie finger, just as she did with her whole hand as a baby. She squeezes it, and makes me feel so great!</p>
<p>I didn’t think her going off 2nd year would be as bad, but it is. :(</p>
<p>My D is wonderful— sister, mother, best friend, and daughter all rolled into one, although make no mistake, I am the Mom (she would never let me forget that nor would I want to). I only wish I had a similar relationship with my own mother. It’s nice to see mothers and daughters enjoying each other. I live near a woman’s college and every year about this time I see them walking around hand in hand, the daughters all excited and happy and the mothers all with that same smile on their faces. You all know the one (go look in the mirror).</p>
<p>I just drove up to retrieve my D from her summer camp job in PA. I drove only to WV. My S (who lives in DC) left work early, went to PA, picked up D, and met me at the hotel. It was tons of fun! My D was thrilled to see her brother, whom she hadn’t seen since Christmas. He saved me 6 hours of drive time, and a second night of hotel expense, and I got to see two kids instead of just one! I drove 10 hours up by myself (and a book on tape), and 10 hours home with D, chatting.</p>
<p>I have reconciled myself to the fact that, as much as my D likes me and seems to be content to spend time with me, the times she sees me now are times when she is leaving friends, so I am generally a consolation prize of sorts. If I can work a brother into the mix, it becomes that much better! Since she is only going to be home for 5 days, we tried to talk her into going to relatives up north for those few days, to save on travel time, but she wasn’t willing. “I want to come home.” She says those words so rarely, that when she does, we jump on it.</p>
<p>Her dad is going to drive her up to school on Friday (9 hours on way) because I don’t think I can handle another long trip so soon. Besides, middle kid is coming home tomorrow night for less than 2 weeks, so I didn’t want to abandon him for 3 days. H has instructions to take lots of pics of her new dorm room, etc.</p>
<p>I really miss my kids. But it is bitter-sweet - seeing them so happy and content with the choices they’ve made.</p>
<p>All these road trips! I too enjoy the car time, though DS tends to sit int he back, plug in his laptop with headphones and watch a movie, or sleep, while DH and I are in the front. He will also do some of the driving too, which is great. But this trip DS and I will be doing the 7.5 hr drive alone as DH has a conference starting earlier this week, which happens to be in the city we are heading to (how convenient!) so we will meet up with DH either Fri night (if DS is packed and ready to go Friday) or Sat (move in is Sat afaternoon for returning students). I am really looking forward to the long, alone time with DS. He has really mellowed out the latter part of this summer (after he and gf broke up), but he’s been busy this sumer and we haven’t had a ton of time together, especially just the 2 of us. </p>
<p>I really enjoyed the long (13 hr) drive older s and I did to Houston 4 yrs ago (he kept the car, I flew home). Ironically, it was a week before Katrina, and the road trip we took will never be the same. He wanted to take some photos of the riverboats in Biloxi, but didnt get his camera out quickly enough. I commented “don’t worry, you can get pictures next time”. Who knew there would be no next time…</p>
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