For me, it got harder the second and succeeding years. The first year, I enjoyed a lot of “me” and “us” time with DH, and CK was so absorbed and happy in his new world that we hit a good balance early so neither side was missing the other much. But we didn’t see a lot of CK that first summer home due to an internship. It hit me like a ton of bricks when he went back for sophomore year this was the new normal–our home was only a temporary landing spot and he was basically a guest in our house on his way to adulthood far from us. By senior year, I was wretched. My baby was a man and off to the military where I would see him even less. My heart has been broken for years.
But, @“Nico.campbell”, whatever your parents feel, they will probably do an excellent job of hiding it from you because they know what’s best for you is not always what’s best for them. Your concern for them is touching, so do as @SevenDad says, and set up a time for regular communication with them. They will treasure every contact from you. Include them in your BS life, but do not let concern for them dampen your spirit or your take away from your time at Choate. They understand. Really, they do. They love you enough to let you go. That is an amazing amount of love. Treasure it, never forget it or treat it lightly, but don’t let it get in the way of the life and future you need to build. The greatest gift you can give them is becoming all that you can be, and becoming independent of them is part of that gift.