Evidently, if you are claiming your child as a dependant for tax purposes, you may have access to their college financial records.
Life 360! If they are moving, they are alive 
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Seriously, this is my major weapon. I know when to call and when not, based on location. Kids go with phone everywhere.
If your child did not leave a dorm for a while it is time to text.
My oldest doesn’t like to call or text much (unless something is needed 
). So we made a pact that she will send emoji or links with interesting videos, or pictures of something cute she noticed. So we get pictures of huge apples from stores with comments 
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How many people here give their kids credit card?
With us, I can see where and how much he spends, almost real time.
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Forgive me if I’m not getting something here, but … do people not cook for themselves at home? I’m trying to understand.
Take an hour now to review your current credit card.
If you need points for your kid travel, want insurance for lost or stolen electronics, want extra points for certain categories when you are anticipating an expensive month…do it now. You’ll have forgotten to do it come Sept and by then you’ll have already purchased the laptop, the plane tickets, etc.
Designate March as your thrift month. One month. See how much money you can put aside over 30 days. If you can’t cut your spending for 30 days, how will you do it for four years? Maybe “stretching” for college isn’t realistic for your family. Figure it out in March, no next December when the bill is due
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It’s parents of the college complaining that their students are being served pink chicken in the dining hall. The topic is on continual repeat with the exact same progression every time — one group of parents complaining, a second group of parents saying let the kids handle it, then an email from dining services is shared reassuring everyone that pink chicken can be safe with only a couple parents buying into the excuse.
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With my kids, I’d send a text asking them to call me when they got a chance (my mom did the same with me when I was an adult). I very rarely call them (although they just call or FaceTime me). Having 3 girls and 2 boys, my girls definitely communicate more (and 2 of those girls reach out more than their older sister, they’re all different).
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I hear from my sons a lot more than my daughter! I have a good relationship with my daughter, so it’s baffling. She tends not to communicate well with the rest of the family, either, so I guess it’s nothing personal.
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I’ve mentioned this before, DS is in BS. Everyone morning I send a good morning text. It’s an opening for him to respond. It’s just usually an I love you too. Sometimes it’s can you buy me some razor blades. Or on an occasion can I call you.
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Sounds like how my son was. I was really happy when he asked to call me about changing his major. I felt so important. 
He comes to me more now for advice because he says so far I’ve been right about everything in life. He’s not in college anymore.
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Schedule a pre-college physical for May or June. Make the appointment now, as a lot of doctors’ schedules are really backed up. Do not wait until July or August! Have your student make the appointment themselves (phone or clinic website) to give them practice. Make sure all shots are updated. Have the kid make a plan for how they will get their flu shot in the fall while at school. Over the years I have seen too many students get super sick with influenza, have to miss class, and get really behind.
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Really good advice! Especially since some vaccines have multi-parts so there may be need for a second visit.
And I’ll add to double check the vaccine requirements at the school where your child matriculates, especially if it’s in a different state/area, as there may be differences. (Purdue added an additional meningitis series, not required at the time in our home state, that we almost missed.)
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I have daughters on most of our credit cards. No problems there. They have several like the rest of the family- one for gas, another for groceries (one is without meal plan, another is on very limited one), another for restaurants and meds etc.
Some cards separate who purchased what (since they are in different states, it is not brainer).
With my son, who studies remotely, no credit card yet…
I have heard about pink chicken too…
Our solution was to run from meal plan as fast as we could…
Think about setting a regular weekly call when they go off. This way, you’re not chasing them down. They know they’ll hear from you. And it’s a bit of protection against only hearing from them when they’re freaking out.
We started freshmen year this way (Sunday evening). Eventually, it fell away, but it worked well for the start.
Also, if there is stuff they should know (about doing laundry, for example), start on that now. The week before they leave isn’t the time!
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Happened to S20 in first year. Mistook the time of his Calc final and missed it. Prof did not allow a re-take so he had to take it all over again during the summer semester.
My kids have their own credit cards that they’re personally responsible for. They don’t have access to mine.
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D22 has my credit card for emergencies or larger purchases. She has her own credit card for every day stuff.
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This is great. I did the same thing with the medical kit. Was great for the immediate case of covid. He’ll likely never use the Plan B or Narcan but they’re in there anyway . I also did a deep dive on all the medical facilities in the area and gave detailed instructions on where to go and for what reasons. My kid has some medical issues and it would not be great to be scrambling for a plan if he needs care. We printed it out and tacked it on his bulletin board. Luckily he’s surrounded by hospitals (but not pharmacies or urgent cares).
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