Well, I’m back in my hotel room from moving my daughter into her school today! I can honestly say that I can’t remember a time in my life that I have been this exhausted. I’m beyond tired, emotionally drained.
Truly though…it was amazing! Getting to see how many upperclassmen volunteered their time today to help the new students move in to their rooms was incredible! There was such commaderie amongst all of the girls helping the girls move in and answering questions.
When I woke up this morning I never thought it would be enough time with her today. I learned, that even though it’s not…it really is. This is their time, and you get to see a glimpse of how truly ready they are for this next step. Yes, my daughter was nervous and thought she might not be able to make friends…but mostly they show you in little ways how ready they are. She was amazed at how well she connected with some of the upperclassmen already.
Those first moments in meeting their new roommate is a bit awkward! Open some dialogue between them and before long they’ll find a lot in common. I was kind of amazed because my daughter’s roommate is an international student from China and they have quite a bit in common coming from such different backgrounds!
Ask all the questions! There was no question too silly, too small, or too big that the staff wasn’t more than willing to answer. At our school, they all seemed so genuinely happy to be there and to make move in day awesome! Every question that I asked or witnessed being asked was answered with a smile.
The most important lesson I learned today while unpacking my daughter was to let the small stuff go! If your child wants something set up in their room in a way that wouldn’t work for you…you’re not living there. If they end up hating how they set something up…they can change it later! Just let it go…let them have this moment!
Everything about today reiterated to me 100% that she is exactly where she should be. Everything in regards to finding the right fit…absolutely essential. This is the exact right fit and for that, I’m forever thankful!
Hooray for you! You survived it! No matter how long you’ve been moving toward this and preparing, it’s a day that sort of rushes up at the end. Sounds like you and your daughter are in a good place.
This is our second year. After having arguments on what goes where last fall, I don’t plan on unpacking for DS. I am going to drop four suitcases in his room and leave.
Wait, I have to take home the empty suitcases as there will be no space for them - okay, I’ll dump everything on his bed and on his desk/chair and leave with the empty suitcases.
It turns out he is pretty organized (as I observed his room during family days - his roommate’s side not so much) so I have no worries. He is also a minimalist so we will be packing half of what we packed last year. He does his own laundry at least once a week in addition to weekly laundry service so he does not need dozen shirts.
This year, I made his bed and hung up the stuff that needed to go on hangers. Just kind of dumped everything else…he can deal with it. I only did what I did because it was that or carrying stuff up three flights of stairs. These old knees decided a little helping unpack was a much better option!
Three of us are bringing 3 carry-in backpacks and small bags each. And also 3 large suite cases since I get free check-ins with my credit card membership.
Just moved my son in for preseason. He is a day student so this will be his only week as a boarder. Still, I was happy to see him walking across campus with the other kids by the time we were leaving. We did learn that a fan and snacks are very important. We will stop by with both later tonight!
DS is living on the top floor of the tallest dorm on campus… and I have a broken leg. I will be happy to plant myself on his bed and let the boys do the carrying up 6+ flights of stairs!! Making our final Costco and Target runs tomorrow; leave early Tuesday am. He is excited to return…and that makes us happy.
@hellomaisy that sounds perfect minus the broken leg! Hope you heal soon! I didn’t have to carry much either, and I was thankful for that due to the humid heat in NC!
@carpoolingma Snacks are definitely important!! My daughter’s room is air conditioned, so no need for a fan!! It is such a great feeling seeing them with friends and knowing they’ll be just fine!
@gardenstategal She’s in such a good place…no homesickness so far! She was very ready for this! I’ve been in a good place too, until Thursday, when I missed her first volleyball game since 3rd grade! I pretty much lost my darn mind that day!
@gusmom2000 & @payn4ward that sounds like what I’ll be doing in years to come! I’ll just be letting her do it!! I do it wrong anyway!
@hellomaisy: I do hope the boys carry you up those 6 flights first! Broken leg in summer is no fun! That happened to me (many) years ago at summer camp. I feel your pain! Hope you heal soon.
Started packing/planning much later than last year with about 10 days before leaving. It was like where is Waldo? Hmm, in which closet did I stash away the suits/jackets? (Since I had started using DS’s closet, No room to put his own stuff!) Hmm, did we store dress shoes at school or did we bring back? Where could they be? Which towels/sheets in the linen closet belong to you?
Fast forward. Already done packing with over 24 hours to spare. Next year, my guess is we will even start packing later. =))
Went just fine. I took the elevator up to the top floor while the boys hiked up the 6 flights with boxes and trunks. We made up his bed and put some things in his dresser, and then left him and his roommate to the rest. He was very happy to have us leave - so much laughing and bro-hugging among friends who hadn’t seen each other since May. This was our first drop off as “returning students”, which has such a different vibe than check-in day as new students. Relaxed and friendly, with easy anticipation. All good.
Moved my Freshman daughter in on Tuesday for Preseason and I agree 100% with you @RuralAmerica. It was much different than I expected it to be. Much easier moving in than I thought due to the upperclassmen coming to our car every time we started to carry something so my husband and I actually did not move one thing in. My daughter went to the summer program so she did have a friend that spent most of the time with us. I do have to say that I was feeling a little sad that we didn’t have those last moments alone together. We did registration, parents connection meeting, lunch, advisor meeting, picked up text books and then I had to say goodbye because she had soccer practice, Dinner, school meeting, team meeting, dorm check in/meeting and lights out. I actually stayed in her room and helped organize since she had a full schedule for the afternoon. I organized exactly what she gave me permission to do and nothing more as much as I wanted the room to meet my standards. My husband on the other end struggled with how he would like things to be. After I finished her room my husband and I went to the hotel and crashed.
After we arrived at the hotel my husband mentioned to me that we forgot to take a family picture on campus. I did not get to meet the room mate because she was flying in from China the following day. But I had emailed the parents prior to arriving to introduce myself.
I am surprised at all of the team building and activities that the staff creates to help the students get to know each other so quickly. My daughter told me today that she is having a great time. When I texted her tonight she told me that she has hanging out with a new friend. Makes me so happy that she is so happy. as for me, since this is my youngest child, I have to work on getting a life.
I go back to school this Sunday, and I am super excited! I haven’t really started packing, but I never exactly unpacked my dress code clothes anyway.
Each student gets two big bins for summer storage, and when I filled them in June, I was like, “I’ll remember what I have in here.” Three months later, I have no idea what’s in my bins! Lesson learned: take pictures.
Yup, definitely. We had hard time remembering what we stored at school (5 boxes), what we threw away (shaving creme, shampoo), what we brought home and then where we put them at home (dress clothes/ties/shoes.) 8-}
So apparently we did not throw away febreze can but stored it at school and we bought a new bottle, so he has 2 febreze cans in his room. At this rate, he will have 4 febreze at senior year. :))
I am still looking for his TI 83+ calculator from middle school days. He has his newer TI Nspire with him, but may need TI 83+, e.g. when taking ACT next year.
But then, I bought 3 of them over the years, so if the third one doesn’t surface, the older one will do.
Broken leg in summer is no fun! That happened to me (many) years ago at summer camp. I feel your pain! Hope you heal soon.