<p>How about some amusing “college students return to the nest” stories?</p>
<p>You all know me – I wouldn’t start this if I wasn’t looking for a cheesy excuse to tell you an anecdote.</p>
<p>Since WDJr was flying back from 2,000 miles away I thought we were safe from the “giant bag of dirty laundry” effect. I underestimated WashDadJr, though. </p>
<p>I came home from work to find his suitcase sitting in the hall. “Is that the only suitcase you used,” says I. “Yeah,” said Mr. Monosyllable.</p>
<p>I found out later that he DID only bring one suitcase, and it was reserved for his electronics. There were no clothes or related living supplies in the suitcase. His entire wardrobe (mostly dirty), was in a 3-cubic-foot box that he checked as luggage. It was already in his bedroom where I didn’t see it. After all, I didn’t ask if he brought a box home, so he didn’t mention it.</p>
<p>It’s OK, though. It’s been a long time since I had to launder aloha shirts – WashDadJr’s trademark attire. I kind of miss them.</p>
<p>My brother came home and we made plans to hang out, but than on the day of his girlfriend (whom goes to the same college as him) decided that they were going Christmas shopping instead. I did not get so much as a phone call to cancel.</p>
<p>Amusingly, I sit here doing my laundry (yes, at 4 AM… my schedule has been weird this weekend ;)) no more than 12 hours before I get on a plane to go home. </p>
<p>Oh well, I guess I might just be weird like that. Or it might be the fact that I would feel too guilty about bringing home 2 weeks of dirty laundry (if I could even fit that much in).</p>
<p>The most difficult thing for me to adjust to are the nocturnal hours. S1 came home at 3:30 a.m. on Saturday night and proceeded to play video games until 5:00 a.m. because it was “way too early” to go to bed. The only reason I know this is because I fell asleep on the coach waiting up and he kicked me off the coach so he could play his game. Then he was headed to bed as I got up in the morning. </p>
<p>He has always been a night owl, tries to be considerate noise wise, is pleasant and willing to chat any time, so I try to just live with it when he is home. I think he gets a little bored around here because the night life isn’t quite up to college standards. </p>
<p>He brought home huge trash bags full of laundry, but we encourage that since the machines at school are coin operated. He will do it himself.</p>
<p>No funny stories, but D came home over a week ago, claiming to have done her laundry the night before she left…clearly she left all those clothes at school! I finally cajoled her to at least unpack so she could see what needed to be washed at home, and that was accomplished after only 1 1/2 weeks! Wow, before she left such a request might have taken weeks to fulfill…but she’s bored, with a capital B. Most of her friends’ schools are on a semester system and have yet to return. She and I have had much quality time, but even my, “You know I need my alone time” girl is ready for her friends to get home. Only advantage for me is that since there’s no one home, she’s not out driving at night. There’s a silver lining to everything!</p>
<p>OK - don’t read this if you are eating. Son #2 had his best friend over, who brought his roommate from Russia with him. I heard strange noises during the night, going up and down the stairs, doors opening and closing, clattering and stuff. The next morning I went upstairs to get the laundry from the bathroom my boys use. There is a bucket with the toilet plunger in it sitting in the middle of the floor. The bath mats are gone. Hmmm. </p>
<p>I inquire when S is up about what happened. The best friend got sick during the middle of the night and didn’t quite make it to the appropriate receptacle. Mind you, he is 6’5", about 275 lbs. and eats a lot. His roommate mostly cleaned up the mess, as my son was dry heaving at the sight and unable to assist. The roommate was using paper towels and putting them in the toilet - which is one of the newer ones that doesn’t flush with as much water and force. It started to back up and had to be plunged. The bath mats were thrown out. </p>
<p>They actually did a pretty good job, just missed the baseboard areas under the cabinets. Something of a bright pink color had been consumed. Lovely.</p>
<p>I don’t know if my son brought home clean or dirty laundry. It’s still in his car in the driveway. At Thanksgiving he brought home damp laundry. He didn’t allow enough time for it to dry in the dryer at college so just shoved it all in his dirty clothes sack and brought it home.</p>
<p>I don’t know why it is funny to read about someone 'dry heaving at the sight., and unable to assist…" but it made me laugh. I guess because the story sounded like something from Garrison Kiellor.</p>
<p>I have the opposite problem (if problem it is)! I asked S why he had not brought his laundry home last Thanksgiving. He said he did not need to, it was no problem doing it in the dorm. He swore he does it every ten days–when he runs out of socks–, and does his bedsheets every time. </p>
<p>He’s not home yet. Another couple of days to go.</p>
<p>^I have to see the humor in these things or I would go nuts. Raising 3 boys close in age has been interesting. Two are home from college right now, the other still in high school. They both brought home lots of dirty laundry, which I kind of like to do. Anyone else have sons who don’t do their laundry at school until they are wearing their last pair of clean underwear? That’s probably pretty standard, I guess. It’s great having them home, barfing friends and all.</p>
<p>Thanksgiving DS brought home only his backpack - in it, his laptop, ninetendo DS, cell phone, razor & toothbrush. Clothes? “Oh, did I need to bring clothes?” - yes dear, you have no jeans here. “oh well”.<br>
Winter break - I sent DS an email two days before he was to leave: “you’ll need to check a suitcase & bring clothes”. His entire suitcase was filled with dirty clothes. At least he brought clothes…& he did bring his Wii which I have been playing as a distraction from the real estate limbo we’re living through right now.</p>
<p>Actually, my daughter always brought home clean laundry and so far so has my son. I’m hoping the stuff in the car is clean, but if not, he will be doing it himself. My daughters and son’s college don’t (didn’t - daughter graduated) charge for use of washers or dryers and they did theirs at school because they could get it done faster with multiple machines. Since there is no laundry service at home, there is no advantage to bringing it home dirty. I’ll stick in an occasional piece or two of clothing when I’m doing the rest of the family’s wash but I don’t get the concept of me doing college kids laundry. Cooking fine, but not laundry.</p>
<p>I was always notorious for bringing home all of my dirty laundry during breaks (I did do the laundry myself when I got home though!), but my brother always did his before he came home. Then again, his room was always spotless while mine, not so much.</p>
<p>Mathson arrived at Thanksgiving in shorts! (From Pittsburgh!) He said he couldn’t find any of his long pants. I know we packed them since there are none at home. He’d warned me he was low on shorts so I brought a pair of khakis to the church where Thanksgiving was held. But boy did he look funny in a blue blazer and cargo shorts. We went shopping later that weekend… My husband handed two pairs of long pants that are “too small” - so now we know where two of Mathson’s missing pants were hiding. Too bad he didn’t tell me a month ago.</p>
<p>Yup – I up-ended my laundry basket in my suitcase and called it a day when I was packing. I hadn’t done laundry in between Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks, but in my case there were only two weeks in between the two.</p>
<p>I came home the Friday night before last, and my parents told me that I looked fantastic. I woke up Saturday morning (well, afternoon), and they told me I looked horrendous. Throughout the course of the following week I was diagnosed with strep (Monday), re-diagnosed with mono (Wednesday), and then found to have infections in both ears (Friday)! So, my first week home was a loooong one, from everyone’s perspective I think. Thankfully I’m now on the one antibiotic I can take for the ear infections, due to allergies, and my severe sore throat is now just a normal sore throat.</p>
<p>corranged, I am so sorry, you must feel miserable!</p>
<p>To the rest, LOL! At least we are in good company. S brought home LARGE suitcase, large storage bin, mesh laundry bag and two kitchen sized trash bags full of dirty laundry. I can’t imagine what he’s been wearing and I don’t want to! I ask him if there was anything left in his closet, he said oh yes, my tux, sport coat and ties.</p>
<p>All the precious electronics made the trip cross country. Couldn’t possible survive the break without Guitar Hero. Clothes? The pair of jeans he wore home and a few t-shirts. There are a couple of sweatshirts since they were used for cushioning the electronics. Little brother is now as big as big brother, though big brother swears he would never stoop to that level (but in a pinch…).</p>
<p>Lots of hair, too. The boy who always insisted an a very close cut is now sporting a lot of hair. Apparently all his friends who are girls like it long. (Sigh, I suggested a number of years ago he would look good with longer hair but what does Mom know?)</p>