<p>My husband said USC orientation recommended calling once a week. Is this what you are all doing? Are your kids calling you or you calling them?</p>
<p>Once a week??? Golly - I've already used up my calls through October...</p>
<p>I think it depends on the kid and the circumstances. Right now, I'm calling more to see if he forgot/needs anything, how are the professors, etc. Later on, when things are more settled, it will be less frequently. Every family has different habits. Some talk all of the time, others not so much. With my oldest, I tried to keep in mind that the patterns we set when he first left home were likely to presage our adult relationship/habits with one another in the years t come so I wanted to continue a familial level of intimacy while respecting his privacy and need for independence. You will know when you are annoying your kid by calling too much... they aren't exactly subtle at this age. You can always send a text telling them you are thinking of them and if they are lonely and want to talk, they will be calling you right back. If they are busy and having the time of their young lives, they will ignore you for the moment. I try to ask my kids if they have a moment at the beginning of a call so they aren't treating me like a phone solicitor because they wish they could hurry and get off the phone.</p>
<p>she calls and texts me 8 times a day. These aren't long calls and they typically last not more than 3 minutes. After her fist class yesterday she texted me: "College is the greatest invention ever!" I think she's doing fine. ;-)</p>
<p>I am getting the same feeling from my D - after all the excitement, anticipation and dread she experienced this summer, USC has done an amazing job of filling those first several days. Her desperate hope that she made the right choice has turned into a conviction that there is no place she would rather be. I am loving these phone calls!</p>
<p>My daughter is now a junior...USC completely changed her life for the better (she was a great student in H.S. but not very happy there, and she agrees that "college is the greatest invention ever"!). Choosing the college had been very, very hard for her -- she originally thought she wanted a very small college but was won over by her visits to USC and all the opportunities -- and it was so reassuring that first year especially to hear all the neat things she was enjoying! It sounds like an academic Disneyland, as one friend put it (grin). </p>
<p>We talk or email pretty much every day but I think it's been just right, helping us gradually transition more to "friends" as she gets older; she is calling more to share about her classes and what she's doing, while at the same time has been completely independent on campus, even though we live fairly close. We don't see her that much during the schoolyear because too much is going on on campus!</p>
<p>Must be nice to have Ds who text and call. Sigh. (<--me feeling sorry for myself). lol. I would love to get details on new classes and so on, but S is too busy having the time of his life. Even without all the info, I am so happy he is at this wonderful school.</p>
<p>I think that there's a fairly common communication difference between boys & girls. A friend whose two oldest are at college hears from her oldest, a boy, relatively infrequently, while she is in close contact with her daughter. Other friends report similarly so I won't expect to hear as often when my son goes to college in a few years (grin), and if I do I'll be pleasantly surprised.</p>
<p>I am begnning to agree with PBK mom. It sounds like the girls love to chat/socialize on the phone whereas the boys call when there is something major to talk about. My son assures me on the phone that everything is ok at USC. No complaints. My grandmother used to say, "No news is good news."
So, perhaps I should be happy that we are not getting any calls of complaints.
My son is happy with his roommates. I am just waiting to hear more details about my son's classes and how the program is.</p>
<p>
[quote]
It sounds like the girls love to chat/socialize on the phone whereas the boys call when there is something major to talk about.
[/quote]
Think again :D If we were not explicit with our D that we expect relatively frequent phone calls, even if just for a minute, she would probably still not have called us. It is not a boys or girls thing, but the nature of the person. If he/she did not like telling you where he/she is going and what he/she is doing while at home, don't expect them to do it while in college.</p>
<p>I wish s would tell me that he's having fun but so far, he's just trying to solve all the little problems that seem to keep creeping up:
transcript hasn't been received, can't get through to Articulation, scholarship hasn't gone through, printer stopped working, can't get through to music prof to get clearance for a class he wants to take etc etc etc</p>
<p>To bmom: At least your son is calling or e-mailing you to tell you about all of these concerns which will be resolved soon. Also, regarding the printer: Tell your son to turn off the printer for a few minute, turn off the computer for a few minutes, and then re-start the computer and re-start the printer. This has worked with our Mac. I read that USC has printers the kids can use. If you decide to buy a new printer, go to Newegg.com and one will be mailed very fast. Printers are not expensive.</p>
<p>To GroovyGeek: You maybe right about the individual differences rather than gender differences regarding use of the phone. My son at USC is very responsible but is not the type to chit chat with anyone on the phone on a daily basis. My guess is the first month of college is very exciting and time consuming for the freshmen . Once the dust settles a bit, I would expect to hear more often.</p>
<p>Thanks mdcissp! I guess I'll feel better if he would just tell me how great it is, how he loves everything but it doesn't seem to be happening. I wonder if he's actually disappointed after all the hype and expectations.</p>
<p>I am loving IChat and MSN..... I have "talked" with my D using these programs everyday so far. And with the Ichat...we did the video thing and I saw her and a couple of her new friends...it is awesome!</p>
<p>My son wanted me to spend more money to allow him to text message more and I declined because it sounded like text messages are very expensive. What is Ichat? Is it expensive? I never heard of it.</p>
<p>To bmom: Did your son go to the clubs presentation? I don't remember if it is this week or last week. Maybe he would find something of interest in the clubs with a smaller group (easier to make friends with common interests). Also, maybe the classes/program is not quite right and he needs to switch around. Does your son like his roommate? Can he go to his RA and explain the difficulties in order to resolve matters quickly? It is very nice that your son is calling you to tell you his concerns but it sounds like he needs someone at USC to help resolve matters quickly.</p>
<p>thanks mdcissp, I think he saw some of the club presentation at orientation.<br>
he likes his roommate and he's made some friends in his program already.</p>
<p>mdcissp - I got a similar request for more texting capacity. I figured it was worth the extra $10 per month to allow S to be in contact with his friends; he said it's far more common than calling, and you have to pay for incoming text messages anyway, on most plans.</p>
<p>Printing is available in the computer lab of the main library for 8 cents per page. Probably other locations as well.</p>
<p>mdcisp: IChat is a program for Macintosh computers. You have to have a camera in the computer (or connected to the computer) and the person in the other end (ie your kid at USC) has to have a camera. You can connect using AIM messenger. You can also "chat" without the camera.... but you will not be able to see each other, it will just be instant messages.
I understand there is also a way to do it using a PC. I do not know how yet.
My 16 year old son showed me how to do all this, because I had no idea :)
There is NO CHARGE for this service....as long as you have internet connexion you are set.</p>