<p>There must be some good drop off stories out there,seeing as I have one.The day after we said good-bye,we received a call at 4 AM from D:"How do you want me to pay for an emergency room visit?" She was feeling poorly from dehydration,and several days W/O sleep.When she asked for directions to student Health Center,they sent an ambulance !Then today,a front crown due to tooth knock-out at age 9,cracked off.At least we sent her with a flipper(fake tooth) just in case.Health Center does not participate in our insurance plan!School doesn't start till tomorrow!</p>
<p>“Health Center does not participate in our insurance plan”…most don’t; that’s why there is a health fee on some schools bills…insurance plan is used for hospitalization/prescriptions etc though…</p>
<p>Oh dear, fauxmaven - hope things settle down once classes begin!</p>
<p>We’ve had a series of phone calls ranging from panic (“can’t find my classroom”) to ecstatic (“audition went really well”) to just chatting (“those girls we met at Hillel at the opening BBQ found me in the cafeteria and we had a nice lunch together”). </p>
<p>The house is awfully quiet, though.</p>
<p>My son lost his iPod between the car and the dorm at move in and called me at the hotel in a panic … would I look in my car. It was in one of the pockets of one of his suitcases. He found it. And then the next day he managed to lock himself out of the dorm room … no roommate or RA in sight, but he handled that one without calling me (I called him about some logistical thing in the middle of his handling it).</p>
<p>On each of the weekends following move in I have returned with 1)forgotten skin care products 2)piano music she want to dabble with 3)curtains and curtain rod to enclose study space for privacy 4)flat iron for boy who is a friend and wants to straighten hair 5)ample supply of bottled water for child and roommate who don’t like Brita and are very, very thirsty 6) implements to hang pictures on wall 7)robe and slippers because roommates like room cold 8)blanket because room is chilly.</p>
<p>I will be back this weekend with extra curtain panel and new lighting for study space.</p>
<p>There are probably other things that I’ve forgotten, the thought of moving it all out at the end of the year makes me tired. The work of moving it all in and getting it organized has been exhausting but worth it since all is now comfortable and the transition is going smoothly.</p>
<p>I am reminded of that fairy tale about the princess and the pea…</p>
<p>First time D1 went to the health center she forgot her insurance card with her. They refused to treat her without an insurance card. D1 said, “Just charge it to my student account. My parents love me, they will pay for it.” I wanted to tell her that maybe we didn’t love her that much, but thank goodness it didn’t cost that much.</p>
<p>Yes,that’s true.When the campus police sent an ambulance for a 3 block ride,I wondered about the cost and our deductible for emergency vehicles! So why can’t college health services be in most insurance,or any plan already paid for by family?Bchan-does this feel like over managing your child? I assume you must live closeby,but I would limit all those extra trips,unless you have nothing else to do.How will your child learn to be self-sufficient with all that help ?</p>
<p>We received a phone call the day after move-in as we were driving home on the PA turnpike: school has no record of IB diploma so S has not gotten any credits. Since we were miles from home and wouldn’t arrive until after hours on a Friday, I suggested that S call his high school himself if he wanted the situation resolved. Better yet, since he had the cell phone number of the new coordinator (his former film teacher who is a good friend/mentor), call him. I am not sure if he did it or not since we are out-of-sync with our communications; I email him with a question, he emails me with another question and a tidbit of information of what he is doing. I am desperately trying to hold out on calling or even requesting that he call; he might figure it out for himself that his father (who doesn’t use a computer or text) might like to hear from him.</p>
<p>
I am sure that some kids manage to avoid this, but I don’t personally know a single one who did :-/…</p>
<p>Drove son to his apartment yesterday evening. Unloaded in ten minutes. Drove home. Had his first class this morning. Said it went great. Talked to his manager for his tutoring job - has to fill out paperwork. Talked with a professor from last year and is sitting in his second class right now (he IM’d all of that info).</p>
<p>fauxmaven - there certainly were more trips than I ever anticipated, more trips than my child anticipated as well. The story behind the story is that she found her class schedule and study habits don’t mesh with the roommate/suitemates. These girls were randomly placed and trying to work it out - much of the extra shopping and reorganization of her room was based on the need to create a study space. Since she has no transportation or means to get the needed things to her dorm it was Mom and Dad to the rescue. It was also Mom and Dad to the rescue for the roommate who would be without a printer, refrigerator, microwave, TV or source of bottled water if my daughter changed rooms. My husband also delivered a sleeping bag to the roommate for her required weekend camp since she hadn’t packed one in from out of state. All cleaning products arrived with my daughter so I don’t know what would happen in that regard if she chose to move to a single room.</p>
<p>Daughter tried the study lounge but it was not quiet enough - now she has a curtained off study space under her lofted bed. She has earplugs. She told me the RA’s admired her solution.</p>
<p>Move in was indeed a long process for me but I am glad not to pay extra for a private room. I guess I would have to concede that she is a practical princess after all. Now the queen is ready for some R&R!</p>
<p>
When this happened to my son last year, he called my wife on his cell phone and asked her to look it up on the Internet.</p>
<p>Drove 14 hours to drop off S2. S1 flew out while we were gone. Drove 14 hours back, opened the refrigerator to discover that someone had tipped over a container of black olives on the top shelf and all the juice had run down the back. I was home ten minutes and I pulled the whole refrigerator apart and cleaned the whole thing and said a prayer of thanks I don’t have two careless boys living in my kitchen for a while.</p>
<p>I highly recommend this to everyone who is feeling lost without their child.</p>
<p>Hunt, we call that Momstar.</p>
<p>Momstar – that’s fantastic! 
The first 48 hours after last year’s drop-off, I cleaned the house almost top to bottom and stalked my kiddo on Facebook. The first 48 hours after this year’s drop-off, I think that mostly I slept. I was sick, so the drive was rough. I don’t count on hearing from geek_son for at least a few weeks, unless one of us happens to catch the other online.</p>
<p>bchan1, your daughter’s solution sounds very adaptive, resourceful, and still thoughtful of those around her. I’m impressed!</p>
<p>Just sent my freshman son the following note:</p>
<p>It’s the day before classes start.
Do you know where your classes are?</p>
<p>Have you located the buildings and the rooms?
It’s not a dumb idea to do this in advance!
I once had a class i could not find … I still have nightmares that it’s finals and I can’t find the classroom.
Love
Mom</p>
<p>I have had that same nightmare!! At D’s school, her PE class is off campus, but luckily she learned the day before that PE classes don’t start until the 3rd week of classes!</p>
<p>Skype has really been our friend. D is across the country. she called us on skype the following evening to let us know how she was doing. Just seeing the joy and happiness on her face has been a great comfort to me. Skyped with her again yesterday (10days after dropping her off) and she is even happier. </p>
<p>I am quite relaxed knowing she is enjoying her classes, got a great room mate and likes her dorm. I would be in a panic if it was different given that we are so far away–so I am just grateful!</p>
<p>What did she tell him?</p>
<p>Lost the mailbox key in the first hour. Package from GF was waiting for him. Bet he doesn’t lose THAT key again…</p>
<p>D once went to a summer program where the first stop was picking up your ID card. The person at the desk warned her “This card is very important. You will need it to get in and out of all of the buildings. You will need it to eat in the cafeteria. You will need it to get on the bus between campus locations. Do. Not. Lose. Your. Card.”</p>
<p>D nods, sagely.</p>
<p>We go to the next table and pick up her schedule. And the person from the first table comes along and says “You didn’t take your ID card.”</p>
<p>This is also the kid who got locked out of her room on the first morning of the program and had to wander around campus to find someone with a key to let her back in. In a towel.</p>
<p>When son was a freshman we found out the charge for a new room key when we got the second housing bill and I called to question the extra $35 charge.</p>