@Faulkner1897 My daughter’s first year… I was a total mess for about a good month. I felt like a part of my identity was gone because we constantly traveled for her different events and we were always together. Even something like television shows made me sad because I realized that half of the ones I watched were only so I could keep up with the things she enjoyed watching. She came home a few times but only to see her high school friends and I felt like she didn’t want me around as much as I wanted her around. That was tough.
For her second year, I was sad but it was ok because she was happy to be back and I knew I would see her here and there. I actually heard more from her last year than I did the whole first year. It seemed she missed me too. She didn’t want to come home much but she wanted me to come to her world more. She even had me crash at “her place” once so I could catch an early train. That was a nice shift.
This year I was excited for her to get back. I love hearing her adventures and stories and she and I talk all the time. When she is home she just sleeps and is blah. I prefer watching her live to the fullest rather than exist in her room at home. It also helps that she studied abroad this summer. She was gone a lot anyhow. It truly does get easier each round.
For me the lead up to bringing my Freshman to school was worse than the actual event of leaving her. Sunday was rough, I’ll admit…but ironically I’m mostly jealous! What a great area with amazing food, coffee, drinks, people, action, etc. I want to go through it again. She had a fireplace in both her double and in her common room – of course, not working but still a fireplace! My freshman dorm was a step below a jail cell…and now I’m paying for her to live in dorm room nirvana - not fair. Anyone else feel like that or am I the only one acting like a petulant child?
@Flinnt12 , if she’s on Old Campus now, her dorm room might be better or worse next year. New Haven will still be New Haven. I was lucky in life, but there is nothing greater than seeing your offspring be even luckier. Not that they haven’t earned it, but still lucky!
I moved DS into his apartment yesterday for his final 2 semesters. Enjoy it while it lasts.
@Flinnt12 - I hear you! Which us wouldn’t jump at the opportunity to take the classes our kids are going to take over the next four years! As @IxnayBob said,our kids are extremely fortunate. But “luck is the residue of design,” and without a doubt, our kids have worked very hard to earn this wonderful opportunity. All the students I met this past weekend during first year move-in were poised, articulate - even passionate - as they discussed their interests. The digs students get assigned to may or may not be better than “cells,” but the peer group is stellar and will provide all the stimulation, companionship, (and sometimes comfort), that we could possibly hope for in a college setting!
I liked that line: “luck is the residue of design,” so I looked it up. Many references to Branch Rickey, but not being a baseball fan, I focused on the attribution to John Milton. John Milton it is :))
My Yale buddies had to admonish me for inundating them with so many pics of our old haunts (Pepes, Yorkside, Bingham, what had been the Old Heidelberg, Mory’s), telling me it was time to leave New Haven. Ran into Jodie Foster (her son is also freshman) but was too chicken to talk to her (no different than when I was an undergrad). Son excited to start, but also nervous. There does seem to be a lot more organized support than when I attended, so I told him not to be afraid to use all the resources offered. He will be in for the time of his life the next 4 years!
I know many crew boathouses on the eastcoast are preparing for the worst
Is there a text or email system that keeps us parents in the loop? Can’t recall…never tested last year…
@tonymom —I am less than an hour away. I will let you know if the storm travels up the coast this far. I have New Haven weather on my phone now. They had thunder and small craft warnings the same time I did tonight.
I don’t expect Irma to hit us here near Newark, NJ, but instead of our normal weekly generator “no load” test, I ran a full load test, just to be sure. We will watch the weather reports. With kids in New Brunswick, NJ, Saratoga Springs, NY, and New Haven CT, who could have guessed that the safest one would be my daughter who just arrived in a village in Fiji with the Peace Corps? She doesn’t have running water on a good day
Okay I missed quite a few comments while I was picking my D up and getting her settled. Senior year off to a great start and I am in the midst of helping her proof essays for fellowships. @Community2605 - I probably read to fast and did not realize he was a junior. No offense taken. @Faulkner1897 - glad the recommendation worked out. Her boxes appeared as promised. Will definitely be using them to ship stuff home in May as we clean out her room.
Hope to see some of you in November. Already bought tickets and parking passes for The Game!! Stop by. It’s going to be epic.
@Tperry1982 --OK, can you provide a primer on buying tix & parking passes? And is it only essential to buy this far in advance for THE game? I assume that seating is general admission? Just go to Yale Athletics page?
Toying with the idea of going up for the Cornell game on the 23rd of this month, and figured I could just buy tix at the gate.
@Flinnt12 - when I was at Yale the fireplaces worked. It was also the late 70’s and the energy crisis so we actually needed them to not freeze in the rooms. I’m surprised we survived and didn’t burn the place down because of course there was no such thing as a smoke detector or sprinklers.
@BKSquared - welcome to legacy parent world. My classmates always hate it when I blow up my Facebook feed with pictures of Yorkside and other hang outs. BTW - If Jodie was there when you were, we were there at the same time.
After just having family devastated in Houston and Port Arthur, I am already telling my Florida family to get in their cars and come up here for a visit until things settle down. I hope it doesn’t hit New Haven, that would mean that here in the DC area we would have gotten a hit too. I think it was Isabelle in 2003 that had my lights out for a week.
@CT1417 - Believe it or not, my first year doing so. We always went to the Game, but never actually into the Game - Yale had lost for the last 10 years prior to last. We just hung out at the tents and then at various parties over the weekend. Also never parked before on the lots but walked to the Game from campus. This year we are getting passes because of the tailgate we want to have for our girls who are seniors. A classmate of mine, whose daughter is besties with my D, is doing all the logistics.
Thanks @Tperry1982 — it just seems odd to me to be thinking of attending as a parent of a student. I can see attending if I had gone to H or Y. So will hold off and see what transpires. Thanks!
@CT1417 - I guess parents of students, who are not alumni, come to the Game. I never thought of that. Most of the non-student activities that weekend are alumni related. But it should be a good game this year so come on. You can tailgate with us.
@CT1417 - you can buy tickets and parking passes through yalebulldogs.com. There are general admission seats for $20, but they’re at the ends; the best tickets are reserved (and cost up to $125 for midfield). West is the home side. Confusingly, general admission and reserved seats are purchased on different parts of the site.
For The Game (unlike other home games), you need to buy a parking pass in advance, and you can only do so as part of a ticket purchase. You don’t need a parking pass to attend (you can always park in town and walk out - it’s about a mile and a half from the central campus, and there may well be street parking closer) unless you want to tailgate. There are single-car parking passes and ones for trailers if you’re throwing a big party.
This year Harvard is favored, and expected to share the Ivy title (with Princeton - Yale is ranked fourth in the league). That was the case last year too, but Yale upset Harvard at home, denying them their fourth title in a row. Whatever happens, The Game is a festive occasion.
It truly does get easier each round.