<p>Boys are just that way.
DH and I don’t have a text plan (hard to believe I know) with our service. We also have old antiquated phones (no keyboard) that would make it a chore. So texting is not an option for us. Both of our S’s have it of course.</p>
<p>Neither called very much as freshman. I’d usually call them once every couple of weeks if I hadn’t heard from them.<br>
The summer after S1’s soph. year, he was in Europe (flew alone) for over a month and we only got one email the whole time. By senior year I was hearing fr. him weekly.</p>
<p>S2, college jr., is more communicative now. We hear from him every week to ten days and he’s good about replying to emails.</p>
<p>DS is now a third year and he still calls every Sunday. He’s in Vienna for this quarter and he manages to call on Sundays. During the week I email him things of interest, etc.</p>
<p>We usually skype once a week. Main reason is that his younger siblings really miss their brother and enjoy skyping. My H usually just wants to know if he is doing well but of course the rest of us chitchat. If he is too busy then usually it is a quick text once a week.</p>
<p>We have 2 daughters. As an undergrad, D1 phoned on avg once per week. She is now a 3rd yr grad student w/a boyfriend…more often texting now. D2 is a junior undergrad and phones at least once per week. And, they always check in when they are traveling. Our feeling is, “no news is good news!” Before D1 makes plans to fly home, she always makes sure that all of us are home at that time. Both will not be home for Thanksgiving…but, can’t wait for Xmas! :)</p>
<p>I follow my older daughter on twitter- it is how I find out how she is doing- although I am wondering if it is a good idea- she works about 30 miles from her house & doesn’t have a car- so she gets back and forth with a combo of bike/carpool/bus.</p>
<p>She also is working full time as a teacher/grad school, including late meetings- so when yesterday when she twitted that she left the light on, on her bike, and it was locked outside a coffee shop, I worried that not only would she not have a bike to get her home, but about her being out so late with no transportation.</p>
<p>I had to send her several text messages before I found out she was home & ok.
sigh.
On the other hand- younger daughter is more communicative when she is away at school, she even sent me an email about 4 possible class schedules asking for advice!
You do not know how unusual this is.
( she isn’t on twitter though- or face book! gasp!)
;)</p>
<p>I don’t usually talk to them actually on the phone, because my midrange hearing is pretty shot - it is easier by text.</p>
<p>pha516–hardly ever hear from my sophmore, but slightly more this year than last so it may pick up next year. I try very hard to leave him alone and make the conversation light when we end up calling, about every week or so. I’ve often said the only thing worse about them leaving and being so darn independent, would be if they couldn’t or wouldn’t leave, so it is a blessing, just a hard one to adapt to!</p>
<p>My son is a freshman and we were very close. He is going to college far away, in a relatively remote location, and won’t be coming back for Thanksgiving because of money. It has been very tough on me, but made much better because he is loving it and working harder than he ever has before.</p>
<p>We communicate mostly by texting every three or four days, which I am not especially adept at. We talk about once a week, but they are relatively short coversations. It is clear that he has things he would rather be doing, though he is polite and friendly - just not very expansive or inquisitive during those conversations - and that was the case much of his last year of high school too.</p>
<p>I’m sure the level of communication will decrease even more over time, but it is good for him to become his own man rather than relying on dad. I would only worry if there was a sense of unhappiness or trouble that was prompting the distance. Otherwise, it is independence speaking through silence.</p>
<p>We talk to both our college-age children once a week, on Sundays. When our daughter went off to college 3 years ago, we sat down for a family meeting and asked her how often she’d like to talk with us. We told her we expected to talk with her on some sort of consistent schedule, but that we understood it needed to be a schedule she was comfortable with. She said “Once a week sounds about right.” She picked the day and time, and it’s always Sunday, usually at night. </p>
<p>Our son was used to this when he went off to college, so when we held the same meeting with him, he also suggested talking once per week. He also chooses to talk on Sundays, usually a couple of hours before his sister calls.</p>
<p>Conversations range from 10 to 20 minutes, I’d say.</p>
<p>I anticipate that my son will leave for college and I’ll hear from him when he needs me for something. My daughter…different story…not sure she’s really EVER going to leave
Every kid is so different. I do find that my son will answer my texts right away.</p>
<p>We’re like some parents in that we told our kids we wanted to talk to them about once a week. We didn’t ask their permission or have a discussion we simply tell them we want to talk to them at least once a week. Each kid settled into a point in time during the week when they seemed to call. I remember with S1 is was the middle of the afternoon my time and he generally called me. With S2 it seems to be Thursday evening and he calls when we are all home so he can talk to both H and I. I think it’s absoutely fine to tell a student that you want to talk once a week and if he/she seems to be “busy” when you call, ask the student to set a time and day.</p>
<p>S, a senior rarely calls, but will have an IM chat with me once a week or so. D, a freshman, also rarely calls, will send a fairly long e-mail once a week. If I need information or there is something urgent I need them to do I text there phones and they will respond, with an OK.</p>
Having 3 sons who are not particularly communicative, I’m here instead. My youngest son is better than his brothers and he tries to call once a week. I get funny comments on FB or wonderful, elaborated emails from DS2, but they’re infrequent. Oldest son was terrible about keeping in touch when he was at college, but I also attribute that to missing the texting-era. Our phones are not set up to text.</p>
<p>Son talks a lot more with us now than he ever did- 4 years away and the increased independence/maturity help. Freshmen are trying to leave home behind, seniors know they have made it. We have always had a copy of his class schedule so we knew when it would be a reasonable time to call for things needing workday attention and when not to try. Once a week hearing his voice was my general rule, you can tell a lot from a voice about how things are going (but be aware you can catch them in a momentary funk), sometime on a Sunday afternoon usually doesn’t interfere adversely with social or school/study life. A $15 webcam (caught a great sale) for his desktop last summer was the best purchase- a quick Skype conversation when he is online catches him at a good moment.</p>
<p>Our current (and last) college kid, 20 years old, probably phones me once or twice a week - usually walking back from her last class on a Friday afternoon. When something good or bad is going on, I’ll hear from her more often. She texts - briefly - a little more often than that.</p>
<p>Middle d, now 23, would phone about that often, also when walking somewhere. She did freeze us out for about 5 weeks one semester when she was angry about something, but her sisters were in touch with her. Now, she’s the most apt to send an email a few times a week.</p>
<p>The oldest phoned reluctantly every 2 weeks or so when she was in college until her father privately told her that he was going to stop paying the cell phone bill unless she called me once a week. I had no idea and thought she was suddenly much more interested in Dear Old Mom. She’s now 27 and lives 400 miles away - but I’ve talked to her 3 times already today (someone hit her new car and did some minor damage, so she needed a sympathetic ear).</p>
<p>I call my mom on my walk home from class, we get to catch up and if I need to be somewhere right after, it’s only 20 minutes if I need to talk for longer I can always make time as well.</p>
<p>Consider it a blessing…my kids text me all day long lately it seems! I need to get them to coordinate their schedules so I can get some solid blocks of uninterrupted work done. If I don’t answer them, they’ll start calling and, at night, I have to be skyped continually. I havent read a full chapter of a book since the semester started…this technology thing is going to be the death of me! I think Ill buy everyone some stamps and stationary for their Xmas stockings…I really miss getting letters in the mail!</p>
<p>Talk to my daughter several times a day, although she is busy. Mostly when she is walking a distance for a class, or by herself. Love college…but it had been only her/I for so many years.</p>
<p>Hmm I am wondering whether our normal Thursday 8 pm CT Skype will happen tonight because this is Harry Potter night at the theater, which I figure my S will try to do.</p>
<p>S calls at least twice a week. I call him if I have something to tell him, usually leave a message. S and H e-mail, they share investment info, rowing times etc…so I guess it’s a couple of times a week. When H is away on business, S calls me everyday. He told me he worries I am lonely! We had a break in across the street today, S told me he wants me to call him no matter what the time if I am nervous or scared. He is 7 hours away, not sure what he thinks he can do, but sweet. We live in a very nice neighborhood and I have a nice big labrador for company!</p>
She’s now 27 and lives 400 miles away - but I’ve talked to her 3 times already today (someone hit her new car and did some minor damage, so she needed a sympathetic ear).</p>