Parents of the HS Class of 2011 - We're awesome!

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1881

<p>Seattle_mom, I love your book sequel idea! </p>

<p>D isn’t soiling the nest so much as being uncharacteristically airheaded about (somewhat) important things.</p>

<p>(1) She & I made a special trip to Apple store yesteday to purchase a laptop lock. Brought it home & told her to make sure it works. She promptly locked her laptop to the desk but somehow managaged to change the combination without knowing what she changed it too. Locksmith will be coming later today.</p>

<p>(2) D rarely bikes - she’s more or less the primary driver for her group of friends. But, she is not bringing a car to college. So, she’s been telling me all summer she wants to buy a used bike from a bike co-op she heard of. I told her several times to find out the name of the co-op & its location from her bike expert friends. Today she finally texted me the co-op info and I looked it up online- it’s only open Wed-Sat (she leaves for college at 8 am Wed) So- no chance to get to the co-op before she leaves. And not much time to get one any where else.</p>

1882

<p>Samuck- the mattress pads I have seen are attached by elastic or sit on top, not encasements. D also has an encasement over the mattress and pad to reduce allergies (but I understand lots of folks are now getting them because of bed begs). And Heinz salad cream is NOT universally available here- although some say Miracle Whip is close but a much thicker consistency. Some Publix or Whole Foods have it- if they have an English or African section (related to the whole colonial thing).</p>

1883

<p>Seattle Mom - LMAO!!! That made my day…I believe I heard D2 scream that to D1 this AM ;-)</p>

1884

<p>Samuck - Amazon has it, another reason to set up Amazon Prime!
[Heinz</a> Salad Cream 15oz (425g): Amazon.com: Grocery & Gourmet Food](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/Heinz-Salad-Cream-15oz-425g/dp/B000GHUJ1W]Heinz”>http://www.amazon.com/Heinz-Salad-Cream-15oz-425g/dp/B000GHUJ1W)</p>

<p>How’s the move to Shanghai going? Dh (as I mentioned before) dreams of one-day returning to the homeland.</p>

1885

<p>Samuck - thank you for the comforting words. </p>

<p>Re: Heinz Salad Cream - it’s only available in a few stores here (and I have checked in all of the 8 states where I have lived). I am not able to sub Miracle Whip for it; I must be a purist. Funny story: my very British mother was horrified to find the Bird’s Custard in the Asian/Hispanic aisle at a local grocery store. I explained that the aisle is simply the international food. She cannot believe the store would not have a separate British section! </p>

<p>No TV or gaming systems for D’s room, but will be on Netflix streaming. Roommate seems lovely: microfridge is being split, she will provide half the ink for D’s printer, and they independently bought similar color bedding. </p>

<p>Next battle is about the volume of clothing she expects to bring. D must think a huge walk-in closet appears when one lofts the bed. I take tomorrow off to assist with the last day packing/shopping/paperwork organizing. Sadly, I dread it. Not the happy, exciting launching I had hoped for…</p>

1886

<p>How interesting about the Heinz Salad cream – I can reassure my son he is going to a civilized country! (it’s absolutely vile, by the way, thick and sweet and yellow but cut with vinegar it makes a tasty tuna salad for those who have grown up with it). The move to Shanghai, thank you for asking, AK, is NOT going that well. I’ve been timed out 7 times today on the online visa application. The only bright spot is that finding a flat there will be so much easier than buying one here – the London riots have left us all sick at heart. These didn’t happen in outlier areas but prime territory like Notting Hill. Pockets of deprivation existing next to pockets of luxury and it all exploded – looters as young as 11. Half of them under 18. And so many of them turning up in court without their parents who were busy elsewhere… sorry, sorry, back to the regular scheduled programme… Thank you, Kinderny, for mattress pad info! H, who is taking S to move-in, says not to worry, they’ll sort it all out. And then he expressed amazement that a US ‘twin’ was the same as a UK ‘single’…</p>

1887

<p>AmandaK - Thanks for the pm about using the monitor for the xbox. I forwarded it to son who apparently thinks I’m an idiot for thinking that HE didn’t know how to do that. Apparently he just didn’t want to play from his desk. I pointed out that there was not going to be a game room. small voice, big sigh, “I guess you might be right”.</p>

1888

<p>samuck, I have to agree with your H – twin is a strange name for a single bed!</p>

<p>kathiep, lol about your DS. assure him that he can always buy a TV later if he really wants one and has the space.</p>

1889

<p>@ Samuck: Heinz salad cream is available in many major grocery stores in Boston. As Mnmom says, it’s with ‘international foods’, so Hispanic or Asian neighborhoods are the most likely. Go figure.</p>

<p>I am also tiptoeing around D to make sure things stay civil, but at this point she seems more interested in getting help packing/choosing/shopping than in soiling the nest. Saw the oral surgeon today and scheduled wisdom teeth extraction (D is on the young side and has late teeth, but somehow got 5 wisdom teeth!) for Boxing Day. We usually give a big
party that day - I guess this is our excuse to cancel! Hoping the calm lasts until Saturday.</p>

1890

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<p>I think it is because a bedroom used to have two of them in it…so there were “twins”…probably a commercial name…</p>

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<p>Was sad to read about it–some interviewed were gleeful about the “fun” they were having. Really not for a “cause” from what I read here.
Was it similar to the riots in Paris a few years back–that were fringe groups of immigrants unhappy with the dole?</p>

1891

<p>Indeed the London riots are a very sad thing. sigh.</p>

1892

<p>Kathiep - no problem! I just think in all the hubbub of my shopping for things for college, ds thought it was like a Christmas in July event where he would get new everything, TV included and didn’t figure I would slam the breaks on getting him his hearts desire!</p>

1893

<p>Sharing a very small room with a total stranger is a very bizarre concept. Just sayin’.</p>

1894

<p>I agree, missy. I’ve always thought it was a strange extra bit of torture that college kids went through. I did everything I could to have single rooms throughout college. D1 enjoyed her roommate situation, for the most part, and D2 is actually looking forward to her triple. I think it’s nuts, myself!</p>

1895

<p>Sorry to hear about the tense relationships. Thus far we’re having a good time with both kids. </p>

<p>ShawSon, a rising junior, is packing himself for college with no help or prompting (a big contrast to two years ago). </p>

<p>ShawD needs prompting and wants to spend lots of time with friends but today got duvet cover/sheets from Urban Outfitters. We’d also been advised by Canadians that a GOOD winter coat was a good idea and the best and hippest was Canada Goose. She got one – mid-thigh length and with serious hood with coyote fur (many Canadians need fur for warmth and aren’t PC about that kind of stuff) in Harvard Square. Who knew? </p>

<p>Anyway, she’s been pretty good – no big blow-ups. ShawWife is on edge, which makes it more surprising. Perhaps 4 weeks in an ashram doing headstands has a calming effect.</p>

1896

<p>He will have a TV-his roomie is bringing his XBox (could live without that but whatever) and he’ll need a TV to play it on per my son. He also is a reality TV show addict-sorry to say-and he also does his homework with the TV on-now finding out he can stream Netflix I guess the Xbox can be set up with the code we have. Fortunately he seems to be the type to not obsess about anything except his writing and he is very social so I don’t think it will be a problem.</p>

<p>His biggest problem will be his sleep habits. I am sure they will change but right now he is definitely not a late night person and can get up pretty easily in the AM-too bad his first class in 10:30-although at least he can have a good breakfast everyday-Eggs and bacon in his dorm’s dining room-life is good. :)</p>

1897

<p>S isn’t the one stressing out around here, H is. OMG. And he took the week off to spend with 11yo D. So he has all kinds of free time to dream about what will go wrong at move in. Unfortunately for mr organized, he left the planning to me. Now mind you, I am not flying out to help with move in, so I am not sure how that happened. Books have been ordered, most have been delivered, some have to be picked up at school bookstore. BBB run has been made. A list is up on the fridge. But, H wants everything packed and ready to go NOW. I have started piling stuff up on the dining room table in hopes to aleviate his fears. I think he really is sad about losing his son. I think he is thinking this may be the last summer S lives at home and it bothers the heck out of H. I told S to start piling stuff up on the table to make it look like we are making progress. </p>

<p>My laugh of the day was when I walked in the door at 4:30 and he asked me if I had potatoes. Potatoes??? really?? Yeah, he was making dinner and needed potatoes and was expecting me to know this and walk in the door with them. After he was home all day. :frowning: ends up he had a pizza party to attend with D so he didn’t need to make dinner. whew. I think tomorrow he will be looking for rice. :)</p>

1898

<p>I think the sharing a small room with a stranger is a good thing first year. And both my kids are very outgoing and not the type to hibernate alone. But, freshman year can be so stressful, it is nice to have someone to vent to/relax with at days end. Plus, I think there are a lot of kids nowadays who have never had to share anything. My kids have never shared a bedroom for instance.</p>

1899

<p>Panic is starting to set in. I woke up at 3AM last night and couldn’t go back to sleep. I was trying to figure out if it would be better to bring my D’s trunk or the set of stacking plastic drawers- or both. I was also trying to map out the room, based upon the few photos we saw on the college web site. Why don’t they have scale model drawings for those of us who are engineers? I would have had the room all planned out with several options by now.</p>

<p>Since we only live 45 minutes away, and will be dropping D off on Friday, and going back Sunday for Orientation, I am totally aware that I am being completely irrational.</p>

1900

<p>Hi everyone. I’m a little dazed at the time flying by. My S2 is moving in on Wednesday and my office contains a mountain of Stuff. Since we live about 40 minutes from his campus, he drove off to buy “snacks” to bring to school to go along with the a full flat of Diet Coke he got at Costco! Oh my gosh–only two more days!</p>

<p>minnymom–don’t know if I formally said “hey” but I’m so glad to find another cc mom with a freshman at USC. Good luck to you and your S on move-in. What dorm is he in?</p>

<p>owm–I am dying to know the tricks of the group photo. I’m thinking–all tall people in the back? Arranged by age? Sub-group families together? Any tips for us amateurs?</p>

<p>phbmom–congrats to your D on finishing basic training. I’m such a wimp–I am in awe of her prowess!</p>

<p>slitheytove–thanks for the liquid spill instructions. I sent them off to my sons and huz, just in case.</p>

<p>fogfog–I can totally relate to your comments about hugging kiddo every chance you get in this brief time. S2 is dealing with this transition much better than I am, and I’m finding myself grabbing him for a hug whenever I can.</p>

<p>classof2015–I loved your reminder for our kids to have realistic (low) expectations. That’s a note I’ll definitely share with my S2. And I was just thinking, we parents may need to lower our expectations, too! After years of plans and work and dreams, we hope this is the right college environment, social group, location, major, etc! But, life is funny. This first year our kids find themselves and discover how to run their lives, so there are likely to be some changes and retries along the way! My DS1 was in a college honors program and he had weekly one-on-one appointments with one of his professors. Guess who didn’t read his university email on a daily basis? Guess who forgot/missed his first private appointment? Guess whose mother was pulling out her hair? But, that certainly hit him hard enough that he figured out how to forward all university email to his private account, linked to his phone. LOL! Now, when a professor writes to him, he’s answering it in 5 minutes. But—I really needed to read your post about lowering expectations. Thanks so much for the reminder!</p>

<p>fogfog–love your advice to kiddo about taking yourself with you. I’m literally borrowing all this wonderful advice to pass along to S2. Thanks!</p>

<p>emmybet–I understand your pride in your wonderful daughters (1 & 2) for being the people they are. </p>

<p>shawbridge–I also have a kid with strong need for soft sheets. Got some very nice suggestions here, and it turns out he found soft enough (meaning: very very soft) XL sheets at–of all places–Target. The best part is they have several choices in various thread counts and you can feel them (sample swatches) so no guessing. I see your D found great ones at UO, but for anyone else on the softness hunt, thought I’d add our find.</p>

<p>kathiep–my S2 is not taking a tv to college. He’ll Netflix online and Hulu etc. S1, however, is a gamer and makes friends by playing PC games, so he wanted the biggest screen he could get. We let him take our old set (tube!!) that was 40 inches or something. So heavy! But it worked for him. I never wanted that heavy old thing to come home, though, and we made him give it away at the end of freshman year. And I must add, while I truly think gaming can be a big distraction for some, it’s not that way for all. I’ll just mention that for some guys, it’s not a problem to do extremely well in college, get work done, and have some social time to play games, too. Like every fun thing in life, some can handle it well, while others may have more of a struggle. And sadly, a few may not handle it well at all. There may be other reasons why kids may crash-and-burn which underlie the issue, too. (substance, depression, other mental illness) </p>

<p>It’s hard to be a parent and clearly see all the perils and risks for budding adults, yet there are also so many joys and triumphs awaiting our freshmen. I can’t wait for some of our angst to pass (after all are safely moved in) and some wonderful success stories to start appearing here. Great or not-so-great, it’s fun to share the journey.</p>