<p>You guys are so sweet and make me feel really good. I thought you would be down on me for taking so long to figure this out. All your kind words are helpful and make everything feel okay. Thank you for making my day better.</p>
<p>Apparently the "right" thing to do for most people here is to go with your child, but there's no point in it in our situation.</p>
<p>You too are doing the right thing, for you and your S, so don't feel bad at all.</p>
<p>With both of my sons, after helping unload the car, I went off to Target & Fry's Electronics to pick up some miscellaneous items that we knew we could buy up there. This allowed me to "hang out" a bit in the college town, feel somewhat useful, and get out from underfoot while my sons fixed up their rooms. Then, when I came back, the rooms had taken shape, I could take a few pictures for the folks back home, and then it seemed like a good time to say goodbye. I highly recommend sending mom off with a little shoping list. :)</p>
<p>It is so very true that college move-in day is a rite of passage, for both the student AND the parent. It is so very symbolic, so very bitter-sweet for us parents, who have worried, nurtured, comforted, encouraged, and fiercely loved a child for 17+ years. To see them off on their first solo flight into the world of adulthood has been the ultimate objective of all the hard (yet joyous) work. I'm sure it is just as important for your mom to "see you off", so to speak, as it is for you to experience that day of transition from child to adult. I'm so very glad that you stopped to consider your mom's feelings, and have agreed to indulge her this one last act of motherhood. This could possibly be a very sweet moment of mother/daughter bonding for the both of you. Only remember to be very patient with your dear old mom. Only when (if?) you are a mother yourself, will you fully understand what this day will have meant to your mom. If she sheds a tear or two, hug her gently, and tell her how she means to you, and how very much you appreciate her role in preparing you for this day. Good luck to you, Fairy. May you moving-in day be one for the scrapbook.</p>