I am feeling extra thankful that DS has been taking this all in stride. He did his school work this morning and is cleaning out his closet now. He was very stressed and anxious at school, so i think he feels less pressure here (no in person classes, no job, no clubs, etc). I have no doubt there will be crabby days, but all is well for now.
We are holding our breath about his summer internship. He secured an internship at Kohl’s last summer for this coming summer. They sent an email saying they have not made any decisions yet. He has kinda put his entire future into this internship, so we are really hoping it’s not cancelled.
@conmama I think every college kid I know is in a bad mood. Mine was home and we had one blowup-when I suggested she get some fresh air and sunshine that day…We talked later and it was fine but she absolutely hates living in her pre college town. She drove off with our blessing this morning to stay with my older daughter and her husband (who have been self isolating for the past 10 days). It will be great for them to have some quality time. I told her before she left that it might be possible for her to get back to her college town in a few weeks and that seemed to help.
So, yeah, we are in the same boat as you, thank God it isn’t a cruise ship though, haha.
Hurricane Katrina was during my son’s senior year at Tulane; home was the last place he wanted to be. He was a 22 year old looking to go to med school the follow year. This senior year was him time to enjoy his last year at college with new friends; living with mom and dad at home with no friends in the city was not something he want to do.
My son was moody and unhappy; more child like than expected. Of course, none of us had ever experienced a life’s disruption like this before, so these emotions were new to all of us. Once he got into a routine of classes locally and a job, everything feel into place. This same son is the one now offering us advice concerning COVID 19, and taking charge. Maybe the hurricane taught him what a person can go through and come out better at the other end.
Mine seems to be doing better now that online classes have resumed. She had four online classes today and has been video chatting with her study group/friends in between. I came home from work and she was sitting at the kitchen counter doing practice questions with her group. Lots of laughter!
As it turned out, none of her friends returned to campus so they are all at home social distancing and connecting electronically.
Gotta say that both our state and her college’s state are now under shelter in place orders so we would have overridden her if she had decided to return. Plus the university’s language was very firm - if you have somewhere else to go, go there ; )
Yes! My 90 year old father was angry they closed the work out facility in their community this week. He absolutely won’t stop going to the grocery store every day. I keep telling my mom to get what they need and stop leaving the house but he won’t listen. I offered to send them stuff or even drive to them if necessary (they are about 1 1/2 hours away). My mom says my dad is obsessed with taking care of her lately and I suggested the best way to take care of her is to stay home!
Meanwhile, my 19 year old freshman was a trooper about spending her birthday at home yesterday. Course it helps that we let her talk us into getting a puppy a couple of days ago…
The elderly ignoring this need to be told that there are people in Spain etc that now die alone and abandoned.
Tell them straight there will be no HCPs or ambulances or Dr’s that will come and help them. If they are happy that no family member will visit as they are too much of a risk, if they are happy to die alone at home then so be it. There WILL be elders that are going to take that risk.
Some colleges have made requests which I think should be honored by both students and parents. One California University specifically asked students that if they left for spring break, not to return to campus until given the okay, but at least until May, and if they planned on being on campus in April, they shouldn’t travel during spring break. It is amazing to me how many parents think it’s okay to ignore the request because their kids are adults. Their schools are in a community of permanent residents, and it’s wrong to expose those people to risk for selfish reasons.
My kid is grumpy. He had to stay on campus (Ph.D. student with research commitments) and he’s grumpy because there are a lot of undergrads, on and off campus, who are ignoring the shelter-in-place orders and are having large parties and gatherings. They might be adults, but they are immature, they don’t understand the gravity of the situation and they are unwilling to sacrifice for others.
I guess I’m grumpy, too. I’m really tired of seeing so many ignore the request to socially distance themselves for others.
The president is currently signalling that distancing could be stopped in 15 days, you can’t really blame the young and the old for their eye rolling. If we as a society are going to be clear that the x% mortality rate is the tolerable upshot of non compliance, we should all be talking clearly about that.
T he late Ruth Bell Graham, outspoken wife of evangelist Billy Graham was once asked if she had ever contemplated divorcing her husband. Her reply: “Divorce? No. Murder? Yes.”
I’d let him go back to school and his apt life. However, I don’t think the isolation orders will be lifted by May 10 so he may have no where to go at that time.
If your son’s roommate is ok with him returning then I would let him. That is really his family and his life now. This is why I was asking if he is going to school in the same state and if it wasn’t too far away. If he can drive there without a flight or an overnight along the way, let him go. That’s his home.
I’m honestly surprised by all the comments to let him return to his apartment. Our D’s university told all students, on and off campus, to go home if that was an option. The only reason anything is still open is for students where it was unsafe to go home (and still many of those students found a way to get home anyway). All buildings are closed and they left open one library for computer use but it’s very limited access.
The more people who remain on/near campus, the more staff/students are forced to continue working in dining and support services. and thus can’t go home and isolate themselves.
OP - I think you did the right thing by telling your son he needs to stay home.
In the “it could be worse” department, after my 25-year-old flies home to visit us on Sunday, he has airline tickets to Beirut on April 14 to see his girlfriend. We’re just praying that the Beirut airport is still closed at that point. There is no way for Americans to enter Lebanon than by air.
I didn’t get the sense that OP’s son was planning to use campus resources. He lives in an off-campus house with a roommate who has stocked up on supplies. He’d be complying with the stay at home order, just in a different place, and with new exposure to the roommate.
@momofsenior1 my daughter and her roommates stayed in their off campus apartment. They are in a small garden apartment building with no other students, a mile and a half from campus. They haven’t been to campus since classes were canceled 10 days ago.
Not every kid can go home without it being a financial hardship. Both of my daughters’ roommates need to work b/c their jobs pay for their college housing, which for them is a lease that runs through June. If they don’t work, they can’t pay their rent. Their families are not in position to do so. I did not realize this was their situation until I talked with my daughter a few days ago to see if her roommates would continue to stay for the rest of the semester. They need to keep working as long as possible - they have 3 more months of rent to cover.
My daughter stayed b/c we felt being in her apartment was more conducive to her attending her live online college courses (home is a 3 hr time distance), plus it is quieter there than home with her five “sheltering in place” family members and two barky dogs. At the time we made that decision, airports and flights were crowded and we didn’t feel comfortable putting her on a plane if we didn’t need to.
She and her roommates are taking the social distancing seriously. Other than work, they are not leaving their apartment and have not seen any of their friends in 10 days. Students who live off campus are not going to campus-there is no reason for them to.
