Let’s start a new post… Who’s excited about drop-off day? What’s left on your to-do/must-buy list? What are you nervous about (if anything)? These last few weeks are going to go by fast!
I’ll start… I have 2 to drop off: one college, one BS. College kiddo says he is “100% ready”, and the only thing we need to purchase is a mattress topper. He was assigned a roommate and they have been in communication.
BS kiddo says she is “not nearly ready, OMG, are you serious, COME ON mom”. We have lots left to buy, including some more wardrobe staples, since she is coming from 9 years of uniform-wearing, and has few standard or semi-formal clothes. She is very excited, though, and has several friends who will be or currently attend this school. She will learn her roommate on move-in day.
Both kids have dental appts coming up, and DD will get a haircut (not so for “long hair don’t care” DS).
My son is so excited for move in day and is counting down the days! We’ve got all the bed and bath stuff covered, but I do have to take him shopping for some standard clothing. He also has been wearing a uniform for 9 years. I’m actually going to miss the simplicity (and lower budget needs) of those uniforms.
My younger son (going into 7th grade) starts school on the same day as move-in day, so only my husband is taking my 9th grader out to Mercersburg. I was really disappointed that move in day overlapped with the first day of school for my other son, I really wanted both of us to make this first trip. But since my 7th grader is starting a new school in the Fall (previous private school is going into year 3 of new administration and is not up to par with our expectations), I felt that I really needed to be at home when he got off the bus on that first day.
We also just got the email about Family Weekend and we are SO looking forward to that!! I am so excited for my 9th grader to be off to Mercersburg that I haven’t had time to feel sad about him going away. Maybe that will set in closer to the 27th…
I remain convinced that going to Thacher is the absolutely best decision for our child. I’m not convinced it is the best decision for ME, however. All sorts of feels. Lots of kleenex boxes emptied.
Hugs (Helpful) to @CaliMex =(( :x
Done eye exam (new glasses), dentist visits (fillings 
, new retainer ).
Still left to do the physical.
Need new clothes 
- DS lost significant weight, gotten healthier.
Scheduling college visits en route to drop off.
Oh, need to remember to take him to one more SAT subject test sitting at a local HS on 8/25th and a haircut!
You would think a rising senior has a simpler drop off. Definitely not.
@dramakid2 , Mercersburg’s Family weekend is the same weekend as the college family weekend. Ugh. I’m pretty sure we’ll head north, not south.
They do a really nice job at Mburg with Family Weekend. If you can, try to come on Friday in time to sit in on classes. It is really fun. You also might want to make hotel res. soon.
Big hugs, @CaliMex
Sorry to hear of the weekend conflict @hellomaisy . We have our hotel reservations set for us and the grandparents. Now we just need a good weather weekend!
2 kiddos, 2 schools, 1 move-in day @-)
College kid is going into her soph year. She is mostly ready. She needs to figure out her clothes, shoes, makeup and toilettries. We need a last minute Costco run for dorm snacks and dorm breakfasts. She is pretty organized and prepared but never feels ready.
BS kid is going into 11th grade but this is his first year boarding. He is all about last minute. I think he is set for clothing except for some rain gear. Winter gear will wait. He has his books, athletic gear and bed linens…and that is about it! He always feels ready though he is neither organized nor prepared.
He can’t wait to be on campus but I guess he is going for minimilist.
I am going to be lonely.
I’ll be dropping off 2 kids, one to boarding school and the other to junior boarding school. Luckily, on two different days.
We’ve started sorting through clothes but still need to get a lot. Same with bedding and dorm room supplies.
Tonight my junior boarding school kid said: “what’s the situation with dessert at my new school?” I said he could eat as much as he wants. “But how often do they serve it?” he asked. After every lunch and dinner. He is young and has as much nervousness as excitement about going away.
My BS kid is so excited and has been communicating with his roommate who lives on the other side of the world.
@owlfoxmama9 My BS kid’s roommate is an international as well. They haven’t been in touch at all though so we haven’t figured out a fridge or any other item where you wouldn’t want a duplicate.
My son got his braces off yesterday and is SO excited that he gets to start 9th grade without them, yay!! (It’s the small things, you know…)
We dropped off one at college today, and I must say that three years of boarding school made it all go much more smoothly. My daughter packed everything herself, brought much less with her than she used to (although still too much), and knew what to do to get settled in quickly. She’s going to love her new big-city life!
FWIW been dealing with anxiety by shopping! Does anyone have a favorite desk lamp? Where do you store towels and do the kids just put their wet towels in their laundry bag? OMG - do most kids just shower after sports in the athletic center so the towels are done there? Sorry for the silly questions…
BTW For those of you who are still looking for backpacks, coats, fleece jackets and outerwear…Northface is having a 25% off sale on many seasonal items. ;
Do we have an official parent pre-drop-off freak out thread? Is this the right thread?
Just got an email saying that my son will be in a triple next year, surprise! Thankfully he is ok with this and likes the idea of a triple. Don’t know who the roommates are, he’ll find out next Monday on move in day. The email mentioned that triples are much larger, I just hope it actually has 3 closets!
@Golfgr8 we have bought roughly half a dozen desk lamps over the years, and not one of our kids have ever used them- I am not exaggerating. Maybe wait until you see the lighting configuration in the room.
For towels- our kids showered at the athletic center after most practices- but still showered plenty in their dorms. All dorms our kids were in, had towel bars inside the closet door. Also we found that hooks are essential. We bought the command strip heavy hooks and had the kids hang wet towels to dry on them. That way they don’t go in the laundry bin wet. We also had laundry baskets under the beds the kids used instead of hampers- and they dumped all the contents in the laundry bag the night before laundry pick up.
Ps. Freaking out is normal
@Golfgr8 You might want to ask parents at your school as practices vary greatly. For example, in our daughter’s dorm at Thacher, small nails and thumbtacks are allowed, but command strips and hooks are not. And we were encouraged to bring a coat rack which might not be necessary at other schools with more storage or built-in coat hooks and towel racks.
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DS loves the light that clips onto the bed frame. The one on the desk, not so much…