<p>Thanks for bumping this, MarkAlex. We know why we’re doing this (for starters, local class sizes of 40, 50+, and I could go on), but we will be empty nesters this fall, far sooner than we ever planned. We’re both excited, sad and angry that we felt the need to take this route. It will be so life altering for us parents. We will miss feeling like part of the community and yet many aspects of the community (sports) are exactly why the kids have chosen to move on. Such mixed feelings. Pride, joy, excitement, sadness, anger… Our oldest says that “statistically, marriages are best before kids come along and after they leave” which helps. But we need a new social group. It may just be in cyberspace :).</p>
<p>Don’t forget to make reservations for parents/family weekend. Most schools schedule them in mid October. Also, make sure your kids have Skype accounts so you do can regular video chat. Most laptops now have cameras built in. No excuse for lack of face time! :)</p>
<p>^good point. I loved parent’s weekend last year. With kids at different schools we now have two different weekends to navigate. One parent will go to one and one to the other. While we didn’t realize the importance of it at during the application process, we are pretty excited/relieved that the kids will be within 90 minutes driving time. And yes, Skype is essential. Couldn’t/wouldn’t endeavor to do any of this without it!</p>
<p>We’re fortunate in that we have two “family/parents” weekends that overlap, but they’re only 60 miles apart. With more than one child away, we narrowed the application list to reflect geographic concerns. Still, I think I should learn to apparate. ;)</p>