<p>We just dropped one of our twin daughters off on Memorial Day. Her twin (I can’t take credit for it) did three very thoughtful things. She put together a collage of pictures on a corkboard of all of her twin’s friends and high school highlights. Next, she had all of the friends write “fuzzies” and put them in a cute little picture box with instruction to take one out and read it if she was feeling down or overwelmed. Finally, she purchased a teddybear and outfitted it with a letter jacket from the college they are going to. The twin we had to say goodbye to rubbed the little bear’s ear while we were having coffee before we left. She didn’t even know she was doing it! This is the first time the girls have been apart. I think these little gifts helped all of us.</p>
<p>My youngest DD put together a small photo album for her older sister, filled with photos of all the old haunts and family and friends (the lake, the Jersey shore of course, her elementary, middle and high schools, her favorite childhood playground and trips we took, her car, grad photos as well as photos of the kids growing up.- including the first day of kindergarten). </p>
<p>I remember sending Entertainment discount books to both my college kids, which allowed them to go out at discount rates. My son also enjoyed a collection of gift cards to local eateries (including takeout menus) and the local “artsy” movie theater. These freebies encouraged him to get him out and explore the area. He also enjoyed a subscription (if that’s the right word) to the Yankees games online - as well as tickets to games throughout the summer while he’s home. </p>
<p>I like the pillowcase idea and may steal that for my 3rd kid. It will be nice to have something “new” to do for her.</p>
<p>When we dropped off D 3 years ago, I had put a framed family photo in one of her bags, along w/ a letter. The letter had “Mom’s 4 Cardinal Rules for College,” along w/ a brief sentimental look back on her life. I’m surprised I didn’t short out the computer when I was typing it since I couldn’t stop crying. She told me later that she found the photo/letter when she was unpacking, and started crying while reading it. One of the girls next door heard her and came in to check on her. D told her about the letter, and the girl said, “Oh, I got one of those, too.” Then D showed her the family photo and the girl said, “Hey, I didn’t get one of those!” Apparently she was a little miffed at her mom.</p>
<p>Anyway, in August I plan to do the same w/ S. We don’t get many good family photos, so I’m hoping one we had taken at his graduation 2 days ago is decent. He probably won’t end up crying over the letter (or, if he does, he’ll never tell me), but he’ll get the same “4 Cardinal Rules” and a sentimental look back. When S leaves, we’ll be left deciding on where the dog will sleep! H won’t want him (the dog) to be all alone, since he has a bed in S’s room. I, OTOH, do NOT want the dog’s bed in our room!</p>
<p>Thanks for that RedEnvelope.com link! </p>
<p>This thread has me teary-eyed. I was also a negligent mom when oldest S went away to college five years ago. He wasn’t very far away, though. This S will be going farther away. I am getting good ideas from this thread. Thank you, everyone!</p>
<p>CBBBlinker - just curious, what are “Mom’s 4 Cardinal Rules for College”? Thanks!</p>
<p>Centraleagle - thanks for asking that one. I bet alot of people would love to hear those “4 Rules.” I’m always looking for good advice to pass along to my kids!!!</p>
<p>LOL – I knew that was coming! OK, here we go:</p>
<ol>
<li> NEVER, EVER get into a car driven by someone who’s been drinking. Naturally this includes you.</li>
<li> NEVER, EVER plagiarize or cheat.</li>
<li> Make wise choices – about who you’re with, what you say, and what you do, especially drinking.</li>
<li> Stay safe. This is a big one, which follows from #3; it includes being safe on campus, especially at night, not doing drugs under ANY circumstances, and taking charge of your own life.</li>
</ol>
<p>There was a little more detail under the “4 rules,” which I’m not going to share, for personal reasons! 
None of “Mom’s Rules” were new to D, nor will they be new to S. We’ve talked about them a lot over the years, especially as they got older. I just figured reading/hearing them again can’t hurt. (I also figure D & S will have them chiseled on my tombstone!)</p>
<p>I LOVE the idea of an entertainment discount coupon book. Are these those things tourists buy or something else? Ds will be in NYC, so that’s a wonderful idea. Actually tons of them on this thread. I’m definitely doing the pillowcase thing, homebaked goodies and packing a brand new Batman lunchbag (family inside joke) with candy and treats. A previous poster’s kid who left THEM a note made me tear up.</p>
<p>Thanks for the rules - those are very wise considering the newfound freedom kids encounter at college. All of a sudden Mom and Dad aren’t there watching their every move and decision. Even if they’ve been the best kids while in HS the independence at college can make them throw caution to the wind. I wish someone had reiterated these to me before I was dropped off at college!</p>
<p>I don’t want to leave anything <em>too</em> sentimental behind, because I don’t want D to cry. But I thought I’d scope out the nearby restaurants & get her gift certificates to a couple of them, in hopes that she can use that as an icebreaker to go out with her roommate and/or floormates. </p>
<p>Oh, who am I kidding? She’s not going to cry, I am!</p>
<p>Dam* all of you. I’ve been feeling so smug–having cried 1,000 times earlier this school year after DS#1 left for his first year of college, I’ve noticed that it really has gotten easier. I hadn’t cried in months. And now all of this.</p>
<p>Ennyhoo.</p>
<p>I had put together a letter that was really all excerpts from a CC thread about words of wisdom for your child going off to college (I did give full credit for it not being original!). I mailed it so that it’d be there waiting for him the first time he checked his mailbox at school. I left him with a kodakgallery calendar with pictures of the family, him, schoolmates, . . . (those really are so easy to put together on the photo web sites).</p>
<p>I also left him with a package that I told him not to open until he was alone. Maybe early high school, when he had started keeping much later hours than I, I awoke to find a spiral notebook outside my bedroom door. On the top page he’d written, “Remember how much you used to enjoy reading this to me?” Underneath he’d stuck our well-worn copy of “Love You Forever”. I added my own note to his, bundled up the whole thing, and gave it back to him. Got a, “Oh great mom. Are you trying to make me cry?” phone call later that night.</p>
<p>Okay. Now where’s the Kleenex. . .</p>
<p>ingerp, I love that you mailed him something so he’d have something waiting when he first checked his mailbox. I’m stealing that idea for sure!</p>
<p>canamdance, we get our “entertainment books” from our HS band fundraiser but I think some of the bookstores (like Borders) sells them also. They cost $25-30 depending on how much the fundraiser charges. The book has 2 for 1 coupons, half price coupons and other types. Our books include (quarterly) $5 off coupons for our supermarket so basically the book pays for itself. In addition to restaurant savings, you can get discounts for all sorts of fast food places (and cheap food like pizza & bagels), sporting events, cultural events, bowling, movies, as well as hotels. Once you buy one book, you can buy copies for your area or ANY area of the country for a cheaper price - that’s how I buy the kids’ books.</p>
<p>Tulare-be prepared for the notion that some of them DO NOT check their mailboxes. Physical mail? What’s that?</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>True enough! S has had a mailbox at his HS for the past 3 years. If I didn’t specifically tell him to check his box, he never would. In January, his school has a week long “Winterfest” to break up the winter doldrums. There were periodic candy deliveries to students’ mailboxes. Without my prodding, there would have been 3 years worth of candy in his box at graduation.</p>
<p>^^^^yes! If I mail something, I also send an email. </p>
<p>Freshman year, Son had to actually mail a form somewhere. “You mean like put it in an envelope? That’s stupid, why can’t I just scan it and send it that way?” When I told him that, no, he had to physically mail it, he asked how to do it. Perplexed, I answered, put it in an envelope, address the envelope, put a stamp on it and put it in a mail box.</p>
<p>“One of those big blue things on the street?” He asked</p>
<p>Sheesh. This is the kid with perfect ACT scores. (shaking her head…)</p>
<p>Re: snail mail, at my son’s LAC they put lots of notices from the school in their mailboxes so he did check it often. On the other hand, when I was packing him up I found the stuff my mother had thoughtfully sent him–stamped envelopes with our home address on them and some writing paper and a few extra stamps. Completely untouched, of course. . .</p>
<p>Thr gifts I left were: Colgate University Blend coffee (the best), an Apple gift card and soft towels in school colors.</p>
<p>I’m going away to college in Pennsylvania, and I am from Georgia, where my mom will be living alone after I leave. My brother, who is older, goes to Emory, and my dad lives in California (obviously, divorced).</p>
<p>I want to leave my mom something after -I- leave! I’m thinking a candle holder of some sort, or something like that, with a note, so every time she burns a candle (which is often) she can think of me. I’m also a great cook, and I would love to leave her cookies (haha, reversed!) but I don’t know if they’ll keep during her time away. We don’t get along a lot of the time, but I know I’m going to miss her, and maybe this will help. She didn’t do any little “special” thing for my brother, so who knows for me, but seeing how much all of you care makes me want to give a little thank-you for the past 18 years.</p>
<p>Haven’t read the whole thread so forgive me if this has already been suggested. </p>
<p>I just bought D a new camera for her birthday and will be mailing it to her at her summer job. Her younger sister got hold of it last night and took a bunch of pictures of herself, including a video thanking her sister for “letting” her use her new camera. So when D1 unwraps her gift there will be her sister’s smiling face and cute voice :)</p>
<p>So I thought why not do the same thing before she leaves for school in August? On her camera and/or phone.</p>