<p>Marite, maybe this will stave off something around Thanksgiving! He's been to the doc, has meds, has done last minute shopping leaving shower sandals and room telephone to the last minute, and is finalizing his packing, has decongestants for the plane, has arranged a pick up to the airport and seems happy!</p>
<p>Elizabeth, beck86nj (real name Becky) is a sophomore at Olin. I know she wouldn't mind a PM or email from you. She could give you some tips about the area hotspots and maybe invite you over for a tour. She's really nice and friendly and I think she'd love to show a fellow CCer the area. :)</p>
<p>So when does the empty nest feeling of sadness end? Help!!! D seems to be doing well at Smith</p>
<p>I personally think it is too soon for the feeling of sadness to end. I recommend a longer period of Denial!! ha. It is working for me.....after all our S has been away from home for two to four weeks often enough. He is just away at camp...yes,...that's the ticket.</p>
<p>Exactly Faline - it feels just like he's away at summer camp!</p>
<p>What carolyn said. Oliners don't bite, I promise. :)</p>
<p>only this time when I pull up in the mini-van at Camp Duke..a van that is strangely obsolete yet we can't afford to get rid of it!!! (go Duke), he will cringe a little instead of throw himself into the van eager to return home, and will only be happy to spend a few hours with us before returning to his wonderful new friends, homey new dorm and magnificent new teachers. Which is of course the outcome you want for the 18th year of life. I am aware of the momentum and meaning of his new path.
I have spent a lot of time cleaning out his room, and making space for the stuff he will bring home from his dorm room. So many memories...where did the years go. Hauled out two crates yesterday of old schoolwork and such. Legos went to the boy who is in his second grade teacher's room now and sold me my wrapping paper yesterday. And it is also dawning on me that moving back into his room for more than a couple weeks is just going to be weird for him and that he will likely have other places to live and work in the summers. I have to say that there is still an unreality to the finality of the thing for me. Best that way...let it sink in with little epiphanies over time.<br>
Here is a positive thought...this fall is minus the nerve-wracking season of last year...all that running around and visiting colleges and wondering and paperwork and the looming deadlines of senior year. So in this we recently bereft but still grateful parents are happier with today.</p>
<p>Heh heh....S has used around 90 of his 250/month text message allowance in just two days of the billing cycle...he said, "Sorry, Im a popular guy who is involved with people." Guess he's happy. He ascribes his heavy usage to the unusual weekend (concert at City Hall).</p>
<p>SamAtty - my oldest D is a first year at Smith, too! What I do when I get sad is to think about how much fun she is having there in that really cool environment. I also think about how short the time will be until December 23rd. Remember, we all had children to raise them up to be successful adults!</p>
<p>Whoops, I checked again and it was only 45 text messages in two days, not 90 ...still a lot!</p>
<p>SamAtty:</p>
<p>Missing your child will get better. I felt raw for two weeks, then for that first year I felt like I was struggling to give birth to life without the kid. Here's an Anna Quindlen column from another thread: </p>
<p><a href="http://msnbc.msn.com/id/3868018%5B/url%5D">http://msnbc.msn.com/id/3868018</a></p>
<p>Wish I could find a link to another column I read a few years ago. A parent wrote about the shock of leaving the kid on campus and the long drive home. As he and his wife drove off campus they saw a mother, weeping, seated beside an empty trunk on an expanse of lawn. "The designated mourner," the writer said. </p>
<p>I think it's important not to fight the tears; they help in the transition. It may take weeks or months or years, but trust you are moving through a period of adjustment. You will even learn to enjoy the pleasures of a child-free life!</p>
<p>great read, faraway places..thanks for the link to Anna's take on Empty Nest.</p>
<p>enjoyed it.</p>
<p>D#1 is happy at the U of I. That last week in April seems so long ago. She just couldn't decide between Tulane and Illinois. I cried when she told me her choice. I was certain that Tulane was the place for her. She never looked back and is very happy with the Architecture program. As a matter of fact, this weekend she came home for a doctor visit. She just had to get back by Monday at 8:30 am because she didn't want to miss any of her class. I'd love to talk to her more, but it's nice to see that she's working hard and enjoying it. She is meeting lots of other kids, both in architecture and in her dorm. My only real worry is that she isn't taking time out from her studio to go back to the dorm and eat. Then she ends up with pop-tarts or microwave popcorn for a late dinner.</p>
<p>D#2 is at West Point. It's as tough as they say, but she has said multiple times that it's where she belongs. Since Basic Training (Beast Barracks) has been over and she has access to e-mail and telephone calls, she feels less isolated. As a matter of fact, we talk to her almost every day - even when there is no real news. (I love it.) She has found incredible support from squadmates and faculty. There is also excellent support for anxious parents.</p>
<p>My youngest is in love with McGill, with life, and with her residence. She could not be happier. Montreal is a great city and she is enjoying all of it. I think there has even been a little studying. She has enjoyed the friends she made thru this web site and livejournal before getting to McGill.</p>
<p>We have the empty nest--has not been too bad. I was asked by friends how I was going to celebrate the empty nest- I replied I was going to have a fire and burn all my pyjamas.</p>
<p>wow, it is fun to hear how the kids are faring. Take my hat off to your female architect in the making and to your West Point gal at a time when we need good people serving our country. And my S is in love with Montreal and wanted to apply. It is such an international city and that is in itself a real education. best to all of you parents now out of the college application merry go round...</p>
<p>I moved D into Straus at Harvard Sat and stayed for the opening address Sunday afternoon. The roommates all seem nice. The dorm room is ok, very small bedrooms and the bath wouldn't make a good closet, but nice common room (where all the desks are located). She seems satisfied. The wireless internet is working and the cell phone gets good reception. What else could a kid want?</p>
<p>My S seems to be very happy at Vanderbilt. He's happy with his dorm, classes and the kids he's met. Seems very comfortable all in all! And having the Vanderbilt football team win their first two games in god knows how many years has been a bonus!</p>
<p>Great to hear about his loving Vandy, Bridie. Nashville is a great city for people who want to get an education or interesting employment, and Vanderbilt provides one of the best town/gown dynamics in the USA.</p>
<p>Thanks Faline2. I think my S really likes having Nashville right outside the gates and we're enjoying discovering a city we had not known before. We're looking forward to parents weekend when we will hopefully get to spend a little time in the downtown area.</p>
<p>My D calls every day, wait she missed on Sun but called three times today, had the flu. She says she likes her school but I will feel more secure about that when the calls fade a little, my S a sophomore has always called about every 4 days but very short calls just citing all the good things that happened. I must say I do not miss half sleeping at night waiting to see if the kids get home safely, and waking when they do come in. I am looking forward to parents weekend in Oct though!</p>