The big board has a “Random Questions” thread. If someone wants to start a catch-all thread here, I suggest using a title that is not similar to Miscellaneous Ramblings", perhaps “Prep Schools: Random Questions.”
Better yet, use this forum the way it was intended and start a new thread for new questions. 
Any sage advice for college move-in (tomorrow) or boarding school move in (Sept)? Nothing practical. I’m looking for things such as songs to sing in my head for when DD/DS is frustrating me, evening drink recs, etc. Along those lines, any funny anecdotes from you brave souls who have come before me?
There are some great dropoff threads in the archives @familyrock, but I remember this particular comment and this one fondly. That whole thread might be worth a read. We had a lot more fun in BS world back then. Just sayin’.
But, I think it would be a lot of fun to share the tunes we play in our heads as we drop our kids off. Some hear strains of “Sunrise, Sunset,” others can’t wait to get to Margaritaville. Both are valid.
I just read some great advice on one of my older kids’ college FB page for new parents dropping off this weekend:
When it is time to go, have your kid walk down to the car with you and say your goodbye there. That way, they have to walk away from you and it can psychologically and emotionally help them feel like they are making the choice to be independent from you and moving on to a new chapter as opposed to you walking away from them and leaving them. It also gives the student a chance to be emotional on the walk back before going back to roommates.
There is a current thread on the main Parents Forum with Tips on How to Say Goodbye.
Remember, you aren’t saying “goodbye” – you’re saying “until we see you at Parents Weekend” (or whenever you’ll see kiddo next). There is no finality to this parting.
Ha! As if Gardenstatekid would have been emotional! He couldn’t see the back off us fast enough.
Fwiw, our BS created a time and place for this, so a walk away from that place would have been impossible. There was an all family “assembly” and at the end, there was a farewell and kids went off to do their thing and parents theirs. And the kids were then kept busy - it’s generally much more structured at BS than college to help them acclimate.
My one piece of advice is to make a time, before dropoff and move in, to say everything you want to except the final goodbye. It saves you the anxiety of trying to make sure it’s all said amidst the chaos and emotions of that day. A dinner the night before was our preference for this. It was a celebration, at a restaurant near school, and it allowed the next day to be purely about settling in.
Same here. ChoatieKid tolerated us during freshman dropoff, but pleaded with us every year thereafter to NOT drop him off. Fat chance. We’d been around the block enough times to know that any opportunity to embarrass our kid was not to be wasted.
To add to @gardenstategal’s comment about BS being more structured, Choate parents had until 4PM to assist with move-in, then it was time for final hugs (in his room) before heading over to the parent reception for drinks and hor d’oeuvres while students got ready for dinner and their evening matriculation ceremony. They were too busy to think about mom and dad driving away. Parents left campus from the reception (if they even chose to attend); they were not invited to the matriculation ceremony.
I have to say, I have not yet cried when dropping a kid off at college and my boys for sure didn’t cry or get emotional when I left! I have just been too excited for their next steps and to me it’s happy and not sad. I will admit, I shed a tear at my oldest son’s college graduation dinner when he said a few words about how we were all a part of his diploma because he would not have been where he was without our support.
My daughter is ready to move to boarding school yesterday and I keep telling myself it’s because we have raised an independent kid who knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to try new things and not because she is racing to get out of the house and across the world from us! 
My kiddo, new Jr at BS last year, was so excited about it that she couldn’t wait for us to leave. That made it easier to not be sad. This year, I am mostly just annoyed that they start on a Tuesday and I have to take two vacation days off work (I usually hoard my vacay days). But we will be taking two days to drive up and visit some colleges on the way.
Same here.
Thanks, all, for the insights about drop-off. Very helpful.
I would appreciate hearing from anyone whose first BS drop-off was for fall sports preseason practices. We are dropping our kid, a new ninth grader, almost a week before the regular drop-off. Although there will be practice, meals, etc, and he will go into his permanent dorm/room assignment for preseason, I don’t have the sense there will be all of the structure that happens at/after the regular drop-off, and until regular drop-off happens the following week, there will be way fewer kids on campus, the majority of whom I am guessing will not be new students. Maybe not a big deal but would be curious if others can say what that experience is like. Thanks!
While it wasn’t my first drop-off (or really a drop-off at all, since I’m a day student), I’ve attended preseason before, and I’ve found it to be a lot more structured than regular school time; you pretty much have required commitments from 8 AM-8 PM, and sometimes even more (7 AM practices 
). At least at my school, they really focus on team bonding, with barbeques and activities as well as practices, and there’s always enough new students present for it to not be too uncomfortable.
Hope your child has fun!
@ProudRent
You are correct there is not a ton of structure. Kids are busy for a good part of the time BUT there is also a lot of unstructured down time with no adults around. If your kid is mature enough to go to boarding school they will probably be fine but yes, it is kind of getting dropped into the deep end.
We had this experience last year. The actual check in process was organized but when we got to the dorm, the house counselor and student leaders were in meetings so we moved her in without seeing another soul as no one else in her dorm moved in early. It was odd leaving her, for us. She, however, was fine. Left to check out campus, eat, and met some kids she’d texted with. Tryouts started a few hours later and she had a group to hang out with from there. When I went back a few days later for the parent meetings when the rest of the kids arrived, she already seemed pretty relaxed and at home. It’s also really nice to not have to try to move in with loads of other people doing the same!
@ChoatieMom
Are you able to receive messages? I can’t see that option- I have questions related to my S25 who wants to apply to a service academy. Happy to post publicly but don’t know which thread.
I PM’d you.
Dropping in for some miscellany…@ChoatieMom, all best wishes to your son on his engagement! @SevenDad, I loved “I Know Where I’m Going.” Saw it many years ago. Wendy Hiller is a personal favorite. No idea what I’m having for dinner tonight. It becomes harder and harder to answer that question…
Good to see you here, @twinsmama! Pull up a stool and tell us what the twins are up to and how you’re adjusting post-BS (not that the BS ever stops…). You’re post college now, too, right?
Thanks, all. Not long after sending my post above we got a message from the school and it looks like our son will have an absolutely action-packed schedule of activities in addition to practice, so I’m hoping our not being there for “real” drop off will be a non-event (and easier because we won’t all be moving in at once).
Pre-season is usually very fun, so I suspect this will be even better than normal dropoff. The combination of team time - practice, bonding activities, etc.- the excitement of returning students to be back at school, and the lack of academic pressure tends to create a perfect environment for assimilation. DS always looked forward to this. He developed lasting friendships who were not his class during preseason, including a few playing another sport. He’ll be an old hand by the time everybody else is getting dropped off.