<p>We got up at 4:00am to get my son to the airport in time for a 6:00am flight back to college (He’s a freshman, btw). He spent his Spring Break with us and brought a friend of his from school. We had a great time, but I’m interested in the experiences of other parents to see if they noticed in their S/Ds the same things that struck me:
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[<em>]He seemed so much more mature than he did when he was home just three months ago for Winter Break. The difference over the last few months versus the difference from September to December was much more noticeable.
[</em>]He seemed a little less interested in seeing his HS friends than he did the first break. Oh, he did spend time with them, but it wasn’t the TOP priority.
[<em>]His HS projects (films) that I thought were so great get a different report card from him now: “Immature,” he says.
[</em>]He seemed a little more anxious to get back to school than before. And he’s taking more charge of getting to and from the 1500 miles between school and home. I tried to get a reservation on the shuttle from the airport to his dorm (about 75 miles) and he told me he already had it covered with his friends.
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Some things, however, did NOT change. His room is still as messy now as it was when he left for school last January (and September).</p>
<p>S1 has come home with lots of facial hair! (He’s been being a Gilbert and Sullivan Pirate.)</p>
<p>DD didn’t come home. Stayed for practice and work and friends. Says she had fun. School gets out mid-May but is going to the beach with friends in Cali until first week in June when DS will be graduating. I was hoping she would be here all summer, but sounds like coach and others want her back by end of June. She wanted to take a summer class here, but her school now offered her a summer scholarship. She was only home for 10 days at Christmas, she had winter training in Miami after Christmas until spring semester. She flew from Miami back to school. </p>
<p>She still calls 2 to 3 times a day and we all AIM each other at night after everyone is back home from class, but I so do miss her very much. I know she is having a wonderful time, and she has given me a mission to find more swimsuits as that she is wearing them out quicker than she used to. And yes she does seem very much more grown-up, but she always was a little grown-up even as a young child. </p>
<p>I so miss my baby-girl!</p>
<p>Kat</p>
<p>definitely mellow springbreak …most of friends had earlier SB… i think it is the sad --yet appropriate – process of leaving the nest … and I am the man , and i am melancoly</p>
<p>I enjoyed having both my boys home, first one for a week, then the other. I remember how much we butted heads their last couple of years at home. They are both so much easier to get along with now! #2 called today to say he got back to college safely this time too, pleasant surprise.</p>
<p>Last time I saw D, was when we visited for part of her sisters midwinter break- she hasn’t been home for spring break since she was a freshman- usually she stays in Portland enjoying not having classes, and works, this year since she has her thesis, she was even more occupied with school work, however she says she is halfway done - 20 pages and is on a roll!
She is very grown up- but her sister is still here and more huggy than when she was 5 :)</p>
<p>This SB was wonderful but harder than winter break or first-semester breaks…S arrived considerably more tired from burning the candle at both ends at college (normal stuff)…and would have been happy to stay home for a while longer (previous breaks he’d been happier about his return to school). Seeing him wish he didn’t have to leave (“yet”) made it harder to say good bye yesterday.</p>
<p>He nailed down his summer internship (to be done from home–yay!) and he’s excited about that He rested up, and saw friends, but at a slower-than-in-the-past pace. His new maturity is striking, but I noticed it as “new” over winter break more than this just-ended break. And yes, each morning’s sinkful of dirty dishes reappeared with his presence–but generally he was considerably more helpful (w/out being asked) this past week…in addition to his usual walk the dog and take out the garbage contributions, he changed lightbulbs, tuned up my computer, and cheerfully ran errands. He was a delight to have home this past week.</p>
<p>I think he’s feeling the internal conflict between “launch” and wanting the comforts of home/being taken care of more now than he was when he left last August, or after the winter holidays. But he’ll resolve it, I"m certain of that, and will be just fine. He does love his school so once he’s back in the thick of things thoughts of home will recede quickly.</p>
<p>My d did her school’s alternative spring break program, so she wasn’t home, either. She loved it despite having to sleep on the floor of various churches and - here’s where I think the increased maturity part might come in - only being able to shower every other day. Let me just say that this is not her usual MO. </p>
<p>She says she wants to do this program every year. (Good - she’s fair-skinned and shouldn’t get too much sun exposure, anyway. I am also allergic to “spring break” as many kids practice it.) It was hard work and the vans carrying the students’ baggage were broken into - several kids lost valuable items, and my d lost some much-loved recent birthday presents and a pair of eyeglasses. Loved it anyway - and, after never having been west of the Mississippi, she got to see San Francisco!</p>
<p>D didn’t come home since we had just seen her during Family Weekend (President’s Day Weekend). One of her HS friends flew out there so a mini-reunion was held with other HS friends in SoCal. After spending a few days of R&R in San Diego, she returned to campus to catch up with her HS friend and start reading “War and Peace” for class.</p>
<p>I was impressed by her trip-planning skills, though. She looked up various hotels on TripAdvisor.com and checked around for the best prices.</p>
<p>I was surprised at how organized our S was while he was home. He made lists each day of things he needed to do. He was trying to get his car sold, and he had lots of school reading to do. He wanted to catch up with some friends, too.</p>
<p>I was surprised (and delighted) with how contented he seemed just being here. We also had a rough couple of years before he left. He couldn’t wait to get out of here! Over SB, he just hung around with the family, let me drag him around shopping, did some errands for me, cut the grass without being asked (!), and was just generally pleasant.</p>
<p>I stopped coming home for Spring Break after my Freshman year. When I did come home that year I had a bunch of job interviews and landed a job for the summer… so that was one constructive thing out of it. I don’t really remember the rest of it as it was four years ago. For the next three years I went to Florida with Habitat for Humanity and we built houses. And soaked up some sun :)</p>