New student register on Sept 3rd. I am thinking to fly over on Sept 2nd, stay 2 nights, and leave on Sept 4th afternoon. We live in Deep south. How long normally parents stay nearby when sending kid away from home the first time? Thanks!
Most of the time the drop-off takes a few hours at the most.
@wilsonmago it really depends on the school. In our experience move in day was on a Wednesday for new students as an example. Once you get there Wednesday morning, you get a few hours with your kid if you at lucky, have a dorm faculty meeting, maybe a social gathering for appetizers and drinks with other parents and then you are done. If you are lucky, your kid will be off exploring with new friends from then on. So you can easily head out the next day. We always tried to arrive a couple days before move in to do last minute shopping, acclimating to time differences and mostly to have some quality time with your kid.
@vegas1 thanks! I should probably fly in on Sept 1st, get some last minute shopping done. I am thinking to send most of his stuff using UPS ground during the summer.
The longer you stay, honestly will make it worse. Just stay the amount of time that the BS tells you, then leave when told. Don’t stay extra time. If needed, make a followup trip a few weeks later.
My kids’ boarding school wanted parents off campus and gone by the early afternoon of drop off day. They have programming for new students to get them acclimated and engaged with their peers. Parents aren’t a part of it.
If it was me, I’d arrive the day before check-in. Do any last minute shopping you might need that day and then depart late afternoon/early evening on check-in day.
Don’t forget that you can order pretty much anything needed via Amazon and other vendors these days and have it shipped to your child. Many parents use the excuse that their kid might need something to stick around longer but you really don’t need to do that.
Your child will be fine. Even if they are a little homesick it is all part of the process. Let them spread their wings. Give them a hug and a kiss, say your goodbyes and then fly home.
Technology makes it easy to keep in touch and you can come back about 6 weeks or so later for family weekend.
Boarding schools do not like lingering parents as it makes separation more difficult.
I agree that you don’t want to linger. I would plan to arrive the day before drop off if you are coming from a distance. Go out for a meal together the night before and use that time to say to your kid whatever is on your mind - that you love them, have confidence in them, expect them to call on Sundays, wear their retainer, etc. There will be a lot going on on dropoff day, and you may be so caught up in emotions and logistics that the final goodbye, which the school will want done by x:00, may not be what you thought.
But yes, the schools want you gone, not lingering nearby. They have everything arranged to make the transition as easy and painless as possible and part of that means no parents lurking in the bushes or running house-keeping errands.
In most cases, your kids will move on to their new, exciting lives more easily than you will adjust to the empty bedroom at home, especially if this is your last one to leave!
Agree with all the above posters. Plus, most likely your child will be SO busy those first few days, they wouldn’t have time to see you. At our school, the kids do an “outward-bound” style orientation first 36 hours and have a very full schedule of orientation activities and sessions for the remainder of a full week. Classes don’t start until day 7. So, give big hugs and kisses, tell them how proud you are, and keep it together while they walk away from you. It will be a moment you won’t forget, and one that will be the beginning of an amazing (and hopefully transformational!) journey for them.
Coming from the south and knowing the time it takes to travel, I’d say your travel plans are spot on. And some schools (like my DSs, have time carved out of a day for you to sit down and meet essential people in the school (advisors, coaches, health services, etc), so even if you “linger” it’s not done so in the presence of your kid.
Those of us that do not have the luxury of picking up kids on weekends, attending games/sporting events/ plays/ organized parent meetings etc have to use our time wisely to try and become familiar with the school…which means drop off is not an hour long process. As I agree that there’s a point to which sticking around is u healthy for you and your child, there’s also a point to which turning around and leaving is also unhealthy. Trust me…when you are thousands of miles away, it is very hard to feel involved with the school or feel that you know anyone that is educating/guiding your kid. Take the opportunity at drop off to browse the campus and schedule brief meetings with those essential people during the one day (Sept 3) that it appears you’ll be there.
The OPs time frame for someone who is coming from very far away is not at all unreasonable, IMO.
I think of it like the first day of preschool. Arrive a bit early so they can play on the playground and get acclimated, meet the new teacher and kids, then when the teacher says it’s time to leave give your kid a a big but brief hug and stride out of the room with a smile that says “You’ve got this kid!” 
I remember clearly that on the printed schedule for drop-off day at my kid’s school, there were things scheduled for parents for part of the morning, and during lunch. At 2:00 PM, the schedule stated “Parents Say Goodbye”. After that, the scheduled events were for the freshmen only. I thought it was good for everyone, myself included, to have a clear idea of how long you could stay before overstaying the welcome!
^I recall a similar schedule. The event before it was a talk by the HOS, and it ended with “and now is the time to say your good-byes. Students should all be at xyz by 3:00 for…”. You could feel the emotional charge in the room!
And for the most part, the kids do not like lingering parents.
You could always keep your planned travel schedule, but do your own touristy thing on the afternoon/evening of the 3rd. If the school is in the Boston area, the Sox are playing the Twins that night, and there’s an Andrew Benintendi bobblehead giveaway that day that is sure to become a collector’s item. 
The things @skieurope knows…
I think many schools have events baked in that naturally separate students from their parents. I do think parents who travel far stick around to pick up any last minute dorms items. My DD’s school has the students leave on a bus for a local camp bonding experience.
We traveled from KS to NC. We flew in on Thursday and got to know the area and spent some time together. Her move in was Saturday and like most other commenters posted, the school had a designated time for parents to say goodbye. I stayed at the hotel that evening due to no flights until the following day and when I got to my hotel room, I was emotionally exhausted. I ordered room service and then fell asleep from feeling so drained. There were a few small items that she forgot, but she wanted to make the shopping round with the school rather than me bring them before my flight.
I did love having the two nights with her prior to move in getting to explore the area that would call home for the following four years! I’m glad I didn’t stay longer after move-in though. They really are carving their own path once you leave campus!
@RuralAmerica you made a good point…we stay a few days (because of travel but also to get familiar with where our kid will be and who they’ll be with) but we left the morning after the “goodbye” time.
The spring revisit day is really the full day for parents. Drop off/day one is disappointing (for the parents) in comparison. The school (politely) wants you out early afternoon. At our parent forum they told parents with hotel reservations to please cancel and go home…in a friendly way but they also meant it.
But Family/Parents Weekend is ALL about the parents. You get to come back.