<p>How often do you hear from your college freshman? My S hates texting (yes, he must be the only teenager, but he doesn't do it), I do not do instant messaging, but we have spoken a couple of times on the phone and a once via email. This past week was his first week and it was mostly just "what do I do" or "where is..." type questions. Last night I called just to see how he was and I could tell he was preoccupied. I was sad, but I guess I should just be happy he is having a good time and is busy.</p>
<p>My best friend and her D talk/text 5-10 times per day. That seems really excessive.</p>
<p>I must be your best friend bbkitty! Yes, I too am guilty of excessive contact! There are usually 10 texts a day, and if I need to talk to her I text her asking to call me when she has a free moment, that way I don't feel I might be interupting her whether it may be in the dining hall, studying, or just hanging out with friends. I do get a call from her probably every other day, I suspect she is a little worried about me too!</p>
<p>Why don't you ask him if he can give you a call once or twice a week? Sunday nights seem to work well for us. Sometimes I send him an e-mail or AIM instant-message to his cell phone with a couple of questions if I haven't heard from him, and he'll usually call.</p>
<p>My daughter's been at school for...3 1/2 weeks, I think...and contact is sporadic. It can be two or three times in a day, but it can be several days between contacts too. I have felt deep sadness at missing her, but my overriding feeling is of great joy for her happiness; she so clearly chose a school that fits very well.</p>
<p>As a first semester freshman, my D would call me while taking the long walk back from one class on M/W/F. I thought that was a little excessive, but I did enjoy the talk! We now text or email maybe once a day just to say hi. We have a long conversation on Sundays. My S is now a first sem. freshman and he contacts me on a need to know basis. I wish I heard from him more. If I have the need for a longer conversation, I just text him to call me later in the day when he has 15 minutes free. That seems to work. I would be happy your S is so busy and happy he doesn't have the need to contact you too much. That is what we raise them for, isn't it? To spread their wings and fly!</p>
<p>We call our son once a week at a pre-arranged time. (Sunday late morning.) We very occasionally text or e-mail - for things like travel arrangements or for troubleshooting the home computers.</p>
<p>I think I may need to revise my numbers from post#2. D and I just had ten texts (5 each) all before 9:00 a.m.! Oops, although in my defense she started it!</p>
<p>D's now a junior, but we've had the same pattern since she was a freshman: we exchange e-mails 3 or 4 times a week, and she calls us once a weekend for a long talk. She also occasionally calls during the week to chat for a few minutes. We like to have her call us, rather than the other way around, since then it's at a time when it's convenient for her and we're not interrupting studying/sleep/fun.</p>
<p>Last year we arranged to talk to our son at a pre-arranged time (for us Sunday night after dinner). Either he called or we called. Now, sophomore year it's working better with his schedule on Thursday night..but once a week works. Sometimes we don't have a whole lot to say to each other, but it reassures me he's alive and well. Sometimes if he needs something specific or has a question he'll call me at work during the day, but he initiates. 5-10 times a day is a hoot. That's more times a day than I talked to my kids junior and senior high school year when they were living with us!</p>
<p>Our daughter is a sophomore. Last year we talked 2-3 times a day. This year not as often, once a day. Who knows, maybe by senior year it will be once a week. She doesn't usually call to complain, it's mostly just chit chat for a few minutes when she's walking to/from class. We usually wait for her to call.</p>
<p>This must be a daughter/son difference! I cannot imagine my son contacting us several times a day, even by text!!!!! He's been gone a month, and we have had a couple of IMs, a couple of relatively short phone calls, and a number of emails, but nothing daily, and nothing scheduled. </p>
<p>Now, my friends or relatives with daughters do have much more contact.</p>
<p>D calls to visit at least once a DAY, usually 2-5 times. She is a senior, busy and well-adjusted. She just likes to check in. The conversations tend to be short, as she calls as she walks to class or has a few minutes.</p>
<p>Son (sophomore) calls a 1-3 times a WEEK.</p>
<p>I seldom contact them as I figure that it's easier for them to call me. When they do get a text or call from me, I get an immediate reply since I so seldom initiate the contact.</p>
<p>If we're creating a mosaic displaying the range of contact from freshman, here goes: My D texts every other day or so with a quip, "I saw Tony Blair." for example. She calls about twice a week for a significant chat. She facebooks her sister every day. This feels right to me. I can keep up with campus events through the school's online newspaper. I know how the weather is, and even what the dining hall is serving, if I want to know! </p>
<p>I haven't missed her too terribly, until this past weekend when I volunteered at a HS sports event that she always competed in. I kept thinking I'd run into her there! Yikes!</p>
<p>Our daughter communicated often the 1st 2 weeks. Calls, random texting and e-mail. After 2 weeks the communications dropped dramatically. Here I am waiting for a response to my e-mail for days...lol.</p>
<p>All in all is't a good thing. We acknowledge we miss each other, but she has life there now and as hard as it is, it's good to know she is gaining independence. We talk about once or twice a week now, and that's how I think it should be</p>
<p>S is now a Sr in college. I usually catch him to IM once or twice a week. I get email from him when he needs something done that only I can do or wants information on how to cook something or a recipe. Telephone is very sporadic. We tried doing the weekly thing but he's not into it. But he called this past week just to chat. That was a really pleasant surprise. He was walking from one place to another and decided to call. I take what I can get.</p>
<p>Our D has never been very chatty on the telephone, with family or friends. She initiates most calls home, and the pattern has been 2-3 times a week over the month she's been gone. She called me at work last week on my lunch hour, and called my H at a time she knew he'd be home but I wouldn't, just so she could have one-on-one chats with us each, as well as calling when we're both at home. In addition to that we all send occasional emails back and forth.</p>
<p>Our conversations are really nice but just casual chat. So far no dramas, problems or frustrations. Her most excited call was about landing a terrific and interesting part-time job.</p>
<p>Before she left, I asked her if she wanted us to learn how to text or IM (H and I are both dinosaurs) and she said not to bother. :)</p>
<p>GA2012MOM, Im in your camp. D and I text each other often - almost always initiated by her. She tends to call when she is walking to or from class or if she has a specific how to do something question or a can I charge this to your credit card request or just to chit-chat (gossip) :). We usually talk once every other day or so always initiated by her. She calls H (he doesnt text) about twice/week. She will send an email about once/week asking me to mail her snacks or find and mail something in her room. I usually include a short note and clippings from our local newspaper. Excessive YES so shoot me. :D</p>
<p>From the other side (as someone who graduated in 2007)...</p>
<p>I talked with my parents (via email or the phone - I hate texting, and didn't have a cell phone until junior year anyway) once to twice a week, nothing scheduled. Conversation was usually casual chit-chat, or about my academic progress. If something good and exciting happened, I would mention that of course, but I cannot imagine regularly sharing negative personal life drama with my parents and am always amazed when I read stories on here of college students who do! The only time I did that in four years was when I was talking to my mom on the phone the day after my first boyfriend and I broke up!</p>
<p>I am female, by the way. And I love, and have generally been close to, my parents. I just can't imagine having such frequent contact in college!</p>
<p>S1, whos' now in grad school, calls home once a week just like he did all through college. We email occasionally during the week, but he can go days before responding to our emails. Our phone conversations usually last at least a half hour, sometimes as long as an hour.
S2, a college freshman, is much less of a communicator. We told him we expect him to call once a week, but that hasn't really happened. When we hadn't heard from him for at least 10 days (no responses to emails either), DH assumed his computer had been stolen & I assumed he lost his phone but didn't want to fess up. I even checked his phone log (we've got a family plan) & saw his last call was more than a day earlier. We called him to find that everything was fine. He's still not calling regularly (this week his excuse is that he lost his voice), but he's responding better to emails. Can't wait to see him Parents Weekend to reassure my self that he's really OK.</p>