Funny, D1 can now Expedia up a storm and D2 is my go-to for train or bus info.
When D studied abroad, she became so proficient at planes/trains/busses. Once I receive a call from my credit card company, “Have you recently booked a flight on Air Serbia?” Yes, that was D.
What to do in a catastrophic emergency. (ie how to get the hell out) My D knew how to take care of herself in an earthquake but had no idea as to how to evacuate for a hurricane.( she had to learn “on the fly”) So many kids go cross country to environments that are subject to disasters that they are clueless about. In a pinch, you can’t depend on the school to take care of you. The worst can and does happen-- so be ready.
How did he live as an undergraduate? $25,000 is significantly more than the typical non-tuition costs listed for undergraduate students at most colleges.
I still have to tell my kids that if they call an adult and don’t leave a message, the adult probably will not call them back. I also have to tell them that if I call them and leave a message, please listen to the message before calling me back.
I was so proud that I thought to teach my son how to write a check before he graduated from high school. Then he wrote his first check – to me, thankfully, to help pay his college tuition – filled out correctly…in pencil. Oops.
I love this thread. LOVE IT
I want my worried kid to realize all those “independent HS seniors” are totally faking it some of the time.
My S bought his first car at 29, a new one. Then there immediately was a snow storm. I lent him an extra window scraper, and he used it on the roof of the car! It never occurred to me to say it was windows only, just use the brush on the rest of the car. Luckily, there were no scratches; he’d used it gently.
“My D, a first-year college student, got a head cold about a month into school. She called from the CVS slightly panicked: “Mom, there are so many choices! What should I buy?” I HAD taught her to always check the dosage on the package (e.g., one pill vs. two, every 4 hours vs. every 6 or 12, nighttime vs. daytime), but I guess she’d never had to actually choose a medicine based on her symptoms.”
Our D who had just turned 18 had a minor injury and had to go to the doctor. My wife made the appointment for her then told her to take herself to the doctor. It kind of freaked her out. She told her when you’re at college it will be you who has to say “I don’t feel well I need to go to the doctor” then take yourself there. If there is a next time I am pretty sure it will be our D making the appointment.
Good question. I’m not sure how much he spent on non-tuition costs as an undergraduate, but yes, the estimates are definitely less. I think the problem is that the assistantship was taxable income and was expected to cover all expenses, year-round, including things not ordinarily included in the cost of attendance for undergraduates. Also, he went to graduate school in a fairly expensive metropolitan area.
If any of our kids went into the workforce immediately after graduation and lived in a fairly expensive metropolitan area, we would be concerned if their incomes were only about $25K, wouldn’t we? We would worry whether they could make ends meet. I think the same thing applies to graduate students.
It is always a shock for folks when they realize how little is left after deductions, taxes, and all the countless little expenses. This is especially when they’ve never really " budgeted" before and everything seems to just vanish. They do figure it out, but it definitely is a big wake-up for most.
Even when the “kids” sketch out a budget in HS as an assignment, it isn’t as real as when there are checks and bills and do many expenses with limited $$$!
I don’t think people are posting to this in a “Kids these days, with their texting and all, they just aren’t growing up right!” sort of vein, but it has the potential for it—so I’ll note that all of us, almost certainly, had similar gaps when we finished high school, and at least most of us picked it up pretty well as we went along.
It is the nature of the enterprise, after all.
I’m still filling in some of those gaps. My son showed me a better way to parallel park after he took driver’s ed. Where I grew up, you really never had to parallel park, even for the driving test.
Re Post 48–There are a lot of choices for cold meds. That is NOT a dumb question. It’s overwhelming. It’s a very common question for the pharmacy. Ask the pharmacy (unless you have a pharmacy mom–then call! 
And it’s not just looking at dosages. It’s ingredients–already taking Tylenol or another pain/fever reducer? Got allergies? Got congestion? Need a cough suppressant? Need a decongestant? Do certain medications make you sleepy?
My daughter has taught me that under the prevailing standards of etiquette, you should call someone back if you get a missed call notification, even if the person does not leave a message.
Just take NyQuil and go to sleep
I find that my daughter is very reluctant to go to the doctor if she isn’t first able to self-diagnose on the Internet.
That’s what my kids say as well–but I tell them not to expect such a call back from somebody over thirty if they don’t leave a message.
Riiiggghht! 
The telemarketers and Bernie/Donald/etc. will be delighted if I return their calls.
It is very easy to OD on OTC Rx and VERY important to carefully read ingredient lists. When you’re feeling junk, hard to concentrate on it all. Many of the remedies are combo and you may have a NSAID in several different meds that may provide you with a much higher dose than you realize. Same with the antihistamine and decongestants.
Talking to the pharmacist is a good idea. You can get permanent liver and other damage from too much Tylenol or other “safe” meds.