<p>Getting through those first tests has helped my son too, as well as having a couple of week-ends to spend some time meeting and hanging out with friends. It’s a huge adjustment, though, for sure, and I’m not sure any of us will ever feel like bs is the perfect situation (hard to be so far from home)-- it does become clearer every day that it’s the best one. </p>
<p>We’re still talking every day…mostly by on-line chat, which works great because he can come and go, talk to guys in the dorm, do homework etc.–and still have us there in the background. I’m really enjoying it. It gets rid of all the nonverbal stuff that gets in the way of parents and teens communicating peacefully–I’m thinking of jumping in neato’s shoes and communicating by text message with the one who’s still home. :)</p>
<p>Agreed. The written word is a beautiful thing I am a texting and emailing maniac! Some days its just to say goodnight, others times a whole conversation.</p>
<p>Our 11 year old daughter goes to the local library almost every day and checks in with the boys via the Apple eye-cam computer. One in college the other at BS. She then reports back to us along with a room evaluation. If need be we’ll text for a request to call home. Some kids have it hard with home sickness. At first they want to stay home come Parents weekend, Christmas break they’re excited to be home but by the New Year they’re looking forward to getting back. Without getting involved with what the school offers it is easy to fall into the Winter doldrums. By Spring the school will be considered a second home. The following Fall they’ll be asking you to leave as soon as “you” carry the last bag to their room. Just takes a little time.</p>
<p>I have always hated chat, but I had a nice “chat” with son last night when we both happened to be on facebook at the same time. It was nice to have that little window pop up with just two letters, “hi”</p>
<p>Then he and his sister got into an emoticon war… :)</p>
<p>Did you know that there is code for an emoticon that looks like Jaws coming out of the water? You know, like on the movie poster?</p>
<p>As to homesickness my eldest is in his second year. He got the roommate he requested in the dorm he requested. The classes he wanted and the soccer team he wanted. He is happy, hardly ever hear from him, in fact! </p>
<p>The middle child who is in his first year is much more talkative and we had fallen into talking daily with him on Skype. He is feeling overwhelmed and totally sleep deprived. Plus he HATES the food and his roommate bugs him. Last time I talked with him he started to cry and said he wanted to come home. Really wanted to come home.
He said it seems like all the other boys have made lots of friends and he hasn’t, his roomie eats with his mouth open, sniffs constantly and never blows his nose and then the final straw was misunderstanding when an assignment was due and getting an F on it. This from an A+ student!</p>
<p>After I hung up and stopped crying myself I called his adviser who has been at the school for 30 plus years and of course he talked me out of my tree. He assured me that my son is actually doing fine that yes he is overwhelmed and sleep deprived but will survive and I should quit Skyping him all the time and showing him the dog he misses so much! That actually made me laugh.</p>
<p>So now I am texting and emailing more often and have not shown him the dog at all in the last 48 hours! He does sound better and I know he will be fine it’s just going to take time.</p>
<p>Scotland–your post made me laugh…and wonder whether our boys are roommates as mine has never, as far as I can tell, used a tissue. I did send him to school with a box in hopes that he wouldn’t make his roommate as crazy with his snorting as he makes me every time he has a cold. (He does mostly eat with his mouth closed…) </p>
<p>I’ve noticed the same thing about phone calls and skype…they tend to be much sadder than texting/instant messaging. Here’s to the written word, even abbreviated! :)</p>
<p>We only Skype on weekends. It makes us feel better to see her (and she panned her camera so her dad could see her room and photos she hung on the wall from one of our road trips), But it may also be making us all more homesick - like prolonging the grief of separation.</p>
<p>Also - with Skype always running in the background, it’s tempting to text her when I see her go online. But I sit on my hands instead so I don’t interrupt her study time. I do hear from her roommate’s parents, though, and that helps. They “adopted” her and live close enough that I know I have a backup for long weekends, and emergencies.</p>
<p>So we’re “care packaging” and “texting” once or twice a week. I’m tutoring one of her former classmates and we joked that D will text " call you after study hall" then forget and go to bed - both of us. Sigh. And yes - random posts on Facebook let us keep up with her thought process. Overwhelmed, sleep deprived, but doesn’t want to come home (hence happy with the challenge). </p>
<p>Parent’s weekend coming soon. Don’t know if the separation afterwards will be easier or worse. Will let you know.</p>
<p>Last year I hated face book chats, I thought it was just an excuse not to call. Now that d no longer has face book, I miss the chats and she still does not call home.</p>
<p>I find facebook chat too distracting and my kid’s never on anyway. Chat through google or windows messenger works better for me because email’s always up in the background anyway–my google chat beeps if my son has sent me a message. I think it’s just nice for him just to see that little green dot that tells him I’m in the background if he wants to check in…but that he can ignore if he wants too. Pretty much like life at home, really…</p>
<p>so many tools out there. we have msn video. skype, google talk and she has a cell phone with texting unlimited. she only called when she felt like to share her story after first 2 weeks. we understand she was busy for homework, ECs and group study with friends. As long as she did not sound desperate or sad. I guess this is a learning process to grow up.</p>
I am a texting and emailing maniac! Some days its just to say goodnight, others times a whole conversation.</p>