<p>I’m someone who loves to pack. Seriously. I like to “stage” and organize things (I’d love a second career as someone who organizes for others) and I like to strategize the most space efficient ways to do things, and something like packing for college is just up my alley. If it were up to me, I’d have already had both kids well packed and organized, and they’d just have to throw in their toiletries. However – I know this isn’t the right thing to do, right, right? Someone give me some support in the “let it go, they have to figure it out themselves” department … How much did you own, help with, let your kid do on his own? I know intellectually the right thing to do is point them at the suitcases and duffels and have them go to town … But I really want to do it!!</p>
<p>You’re welcome to come over and help me pack!!! I"m definitely overloaded!</p>
<p>Okay - back to college packing…</p>
<p>With DS#1, because he was going further away, we worked together to pack up boxes of stuff to send to my MIL’s house (near to his college). Then he was in charge of his final suitcase/computer/trumpet/personal stuff.</p>
<p>With DS#2, he’s on his own for his clothes, computer, golf clubs, and toiletries. But if I didn’t step in -things like desk items, linens, reference books, etc would be forgotten. </p>
<p>But I understand your pain. If I had my way - I would kick them out of the house for 2 days and pack them all up myself!!!</p>
<p>STOP IT. STOP IT NOW. BEHAVE YOURSELF!!! (Does that help?)</p>
<p>Really, it is one more step in letting them be the adults you want them to be. It is just as important as letting them fall down and go boom when they were learning to walk. They have to take ownership of their own lives. I remember forcing my oldest son to make a list of all the things he would need to pack for his freshman year. His list?</p>
<p>Allen wrenches
Regular wrenches
Screw driver (phillips - large small jewelers)
Screw driver (slotted - large small jewelers)
chain tool
Zip ties – large (orange, black, AND Blue)
Zip ties – small (assorted)
Zip ties – mini (all)
Towels</p>
<p>That was his ENTIRE list – I wondered if he thought he was going to live in the dorm or build it. Turned out he thought it was silly to make a list that included things like underwear, OF course he would pack underwear. But he wanted to make sure he had all the tools for bike repair. And he worked all four years fixing bikes for floormates, friends, etc. They are smarter than we think they are.</p>
<p>I packed my older daughter to go to college.</p>
<p>I was stressed enough over the logistics of taking her to college (we flew, had to ship some boxes, etc.) without having to stress over when and how she would do it.</p>
<p>Since we will only have to throw stuff in the car to take daughter number 2 to college, I won’t really care so much how and when the packing gets done.</p>
<p>fendrock - that’s pretty much my story, too. And with DS#2, if he really does forget something, I’ll be driving back that way a week or 2 later.</p>
<p>Now, after that - tough luck! Everything will be in storage and they’re on their own!!!</p>
<p>You need to turn this into a business.</p>
<p>Pizzagirl- when you turn it into a business please put organizing my garage at top of list. DH doesn’t know how to organize and I refuse to touch his garage stuff!</p>
<p>On college packing-i’m organizing room stuff and ds will (hopefully) pack clothes and personal stuff or do without.</p>
<p>Sent from my DROID2 GLOBAL using CC App</p>
<p>College-aged males lack the packing gene. I am convinced.</p>
<p>I enjoyed helping older s buy stuff for college, many moons ago. Ended up helping him pack because he got very ill right before he left for school and was hospitalized until 2 days before we left. Because older s’s college and younger s’s HS graduation were on the same morning, I was unable to attend older s’s graduation and unable to help pack stuff up into the car to come home. I cannot begin to tell you the amount of stuff that got left behind, in drawers (underwear, some of his favorite shirts, etc) on the curb (box of speakers from the dorm room, fireworks-- oh gee what a shame that they were left behind…) etc. </p>
<p>Younger s was more of an “I’ll do it myself” kind of guy. Packed his stuff and then expected me to ship him all the stuff he forgot. Yesterday he just returned from living in a frat house all summer. His stuff is nasty, and everywhere. I closed the door…</p>
<p><<i closed=“” the=“” door…=“”>></i></p><i closed=“” the=“” door…=“”>
<p>LOL!! Smart move!</p>
<p>My older son has been traveling all summer with a drum & bugle corps. When we met up with him a couple of weeks ago, he gave us the sleeping bag he had been using since May 20 and I gave him a single sheet to use (on top of his good air mattress). Got the sleeping bag home and opened it up to wash it. GROSS!!! </p>
<p>Based on that, I told him that at the end of the summer (this weekend) - all the white socks and tshirts he’s been wearing all summer AND the white sheet…are going in the trash!!! No need to even put them on the plane home! ;)</p>
</i>
<p>H is the one with packing gene. D1 put everything she was taking with her in our living room (we couldn´t entertain for a month), and H loaded into the car (mini van we rented). We were only 3+ hours away, so went up there few weeks later to swap out few things and took home whole bunch things she didn´t need.</p>
<p>My contribution to my kids´move in to college or sleep away is to scrub down the dorm room. My kids will not put anything away until I have cleaned their room (walls, closets, floor, baseboard).</p>
<p>Am I the only one who was mildly amused that the “have you planned your funeral” thread and this “I am a packing expert” thread are right next to each other? PG- can you pack us up for a nice sendoff??</p>
<p>;)</p>
<p>Or better yet jym626 the stress of kiddos not packing will lead to planning of funerals.</p>
<p>Or we could just pack them in their duffels and ship them off to school… The possibilities are endless :)</p>
<p>My S said he was going to work on his clothes for packing for school. I said great! Leave them on hangers. He said what he really meant was that he was going to clean out his closet of all the stuff he didn’t want to take…</p>
<p>Left to his own devices, son would leave for college with only his laptop, printer, phone, sleeping bag (who needs sheets?) and a change of clothes. </p>
<p>Yes, I will be helping pack.</p>
<p>I helped both sons develop a packing list. We sat down one night at the computer and came up with a list. The list was then left out on our kitchen table and we all took turns adding things to it. Our living room was the staging area starting about a week before D day. Both boys ultimately did do the packing, but far too last minute for my taste! I did drop off various items in the staging area that didn’t seem to be otherwise arriving there. The list seemed to help get each boy to take ownership of the process.</p>
<p>(I HATE to pack!)</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Kids pack totally on their own with no help whatsoever, but then I HATE to pack.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Then do it, for goodness sake. The only reason I can think of for you to quit would be if your kids want you to stop. Otherwise, it’s a win-win situation.</p>
<p>PG - I feel your pain. My recent grad son is leaving for a year in China. It has renewed all of my packing and preparedness anxieties that I thought I laid to rest years ago.
For example, he doesn’t seem to realize that it may be a bit difficult to buy a winter coat to fit his 6’6’’ frame once over there. I’m just biting my tongue for now though…</p>
<p>I have a slightly different take than some.</p>
<p>Unless your kids are fighting you over this, I say go ahead and indulge yourself. You will be more satisfied and have some fun, and your kids probably don’t care. I can’t remember if you are talking about sons or daughters (sons definitely don’t care).</p>
<p>I will warn you, though. You will pack WAY more stuff than they need. Visualize getting the stuff back home next May, or finding places to store it next summer.</p>
<p>
True that. Younger s did let me buy a lot of toiletry, school supply and desk stuff. Hes a rising senior and I’ve still found unopened stuff from freshman year :(</p>