<p>My oldest is a freshman at college, over 1000 miles from home. It's been almost 3 months since I've seen him! Parents--that is tooooo looooong to go without seeing your child, especially when it's your first time to go through this process! Actually I did fine when we dropped him off back in august, and have done pretty well most of the time, but the last couple of weeks I have started to miss him SO badly! I haven't felt motherly instincts like this since he was a baby!!</p>
<p>So needless to say I am consumed with eagerness about him coming home. Yet I know in my heart he will not be nearly as sentimental about the reunion as I will be! Right now I just want to hug him and never let go!! (I'm hoping for at least a brief but fond pat on my back when we pick him up at the airport!)</p>
<p>I thought it would be fun to hear others' thoughts on their children coming home for the first time, either actual experiences from the past, or anticipated experiences for the upcoming thanksgiving break.</p>
<p>While my son enjoyed being home his first Thanksgiving, it wasn't because of family. He was more excited to see his high school buddies! His group of friends spent most of the holiday together. They did grace their families with their presents on Thanksgiving day, but the rest of the time was reserved for friends and errands. He stayed home during the day and went out by dinner time each night. Oh well, we enjoyed seeing him while he was here, and also seeing his old friends when they hung out here one night.</p>
<p>Wow, I guess many of you will be seeing your kids for the first time this fall. Dolce, I guess your son won't be brining friends home since he has to fly in. Are anyone else's kids bringing friends home for Thanksgiving? I've often heard that kids who live close enough to drive home will bring International friends home for Thanksgiving.</p>
<p>My daughter and I just talked about coming home for thanksgiving this past saturday evening (I thought she was spending a quite night in the dorm doing her laundry and we were bonding, she told me she was going out with friends later). It was actually an intersting converasation because the one thing she misses most is home cooking (and she has 14 dining places at her disposal) and mind you she does not even like Thanksgiving food (think of Chandler on friends but without any dysfunctional issues) so the only thing she wants are collard greens and some turkey. She wanted to know if collard greens can be frozen so she can take some back with her. </p>
<p>Her new favorite cereal is Kixx (she did not even eat cereal of any kind when she was at home, cereal would go stale) and she is shocked and appalled that it is $5 a box (See what happens now that they are spending their money?). She told me how she is bringing home her rolling duffel because we must go to Costco to pick up some things for her to take back. She now has a great appreciation for 50 degree days and says she does not want to do a lot of unnecessary walking one it starts to get cold, so a few non perishables will do her fine.</p>
<p>She also wants to know if I can cook her some stuff that can be frozen so she can take back to school (REI has a soft cooler on sale for $24.95, and I will get gladware from the Family Dollar store). Wants to know if I can make her some spaghetti, and if I can make a pan of lasagna for her friends so they can have it for dinner sunday night when they get back to school.</p>
<p>I thought she was going to bring people home for Thanksgiving and she did bounce it off of me, but she wants to come without additional house guests. She misses her dog, being in the city and has already made plans to hang out with some her cousins (who are also home) and friends from high school and from college. She will go see her grandparents (to my suprise, she actually call them more than me just to shoot the breeze). Because the traffic must stop for you in NH, she said it is going to be an adjustment crossing the streets with the crazy cab drivers even when you have the light. She actually misses the subway (go figure). Wants to do some shopping (the lack of shopping has really gotten next to her,but she loves that she can shop on line and NH has no sales tax). She has no idea what she is going to do at home for 3 weeks for Christmas break!!</p>
<p>My son, as probably many here, is part of a very supportive group of friends who have scattered across the country for college. In anticipation of the possibility that they will all want to be spending their vacation time together, another mom and I are planning a post-Thanksgiving get together tied into their favorite activity (football in the park) and inviting the parents too. So that we can see them from a distance as they play.....</p>
<p>Thanks for the invitation, don't tempt me. California would be a nice change of pace since it was a bit nippy in the city this morning ;) I remember one year we went to Jamaica fot thanksgiving and the holiday is not celebrated there, she was so miserable with out the traditional thanksgiving day stuff (we went to Duns River Falls) form that point on we stay close to home.</p>
<p>Warning. It's harder to say goodbye after Thanksgiving break then it is after the fall send-off! I was fine saying good bye to my daughter her freshman year. I was excited for her and knew college would be wonderful. It was and she loved it. I was the one that had a hard time. When she came home for her break (she's home from Thanksgiving to just after New Years) it was wonderful! When she left to go back, I felt so sad because I KNEW how much I would miss her. But, we lived through it. She still loves college, I still miss her and wish she was a couple of states closer.</p>
<p>Mine (DS) won't be home til Christmas break 12/22 and has to return for January term 1/2/05. He will be going home with a frat brother and fellow football teammate for Turkey Day. His family lives about 5 miles south of the Canadian border, he is going to be COLD!!! I miss him soooo very much, he left mid-summer for football practice and haven't seen him since. December 22 is far, far away! I still bought a 22 lb bird, all the other sibs are still at home and they will devour it. Have another bird for Christmas,a honey ham and a beautiful roast for the holidays when he is home. He is only home for a few days...I am sad just thinking about it. He says its been cold in MN. I'll bet!</p>
<p>We will have to wait until Xmas to see D. She and her one of her customs advisors are going home with a suitemate....in NJ. In CA and with 2 younger children, we weren't able to make it to Parent Weekend either. The family of another suitemate invited her and friends out to dinner. She has been well taken care of. It's all good...</p>
<p>My S so busy, barely has time for me when I do visit. Even last weekend, Parent's Day, he had plans; maybe gave me 20 minutrs. It hurts, but his activities just so fulfilling to him (computer games at professor's house, school play) that I vent here. Anyway, I'll be flying to him T-day, and invited the kids from far-away places to dinner.</p>
<p>My son and daughter will be driving home together from central PA, they go to school about 45 minutes from each other. He has a car (she's a freshman and can't have one there yet). Their fall pause, winter break and spring break fall at different times, so this is the only time he'll be able to spare us the 3 hour drive! My daughter was home over fall pause, but haven't seen my son since we helped him move back at the end of August. It will be nice to have everyone home for the weekend!
The best Thanksgiving was with our oldest son, who attended the University of RI his freshman year. It was a 4+ hour drive for us, and the thought of 2 round trips in 4 days was not pleasant. We decided to drive there, get a hotel (beach front hotels in RI are surprisingly inexpensive in November), and drove to Plimoth Plantation on Thanksgiving Day. It was really an incredible place to spend the day! We had our first ever turkey day dinner at a restaurant, and spent the rest of the weekend sightseeing in Newport, Providence, etc. Drove home Sunday morning to avoid traffic. Everybody had a great time - it was just so different than our usual routine.</p>
<p>We're excited to see our D over Thanksgiving, even though we know the reality is that with the cross-country flight, the time change (3 hours) and the fact that she'll be pretty wiped out from her workload at school, we'll probably only be see a sleeping lump for the first couple of days if we peek in her room--that is, unless we station ourselves outside the door and happen to catch a glimpse a streak of light dashing toward the bathroom, where she'll disappear in a cloud of steam and hair dryer noise for what seems like hours. We might have some bonding time while she forages in the kitchen when she finally emerges. On Thanksgiving day itself, I don't hold out much hope for a real convo with her. Too much madness and mayhem with unruly relatives. More likely, I will have to wait for Christmas break to really have a chance to plumb the depths of her college experiences (ha). Well, anyway, it'll be nice to just see her over T-day! Hope all of you enjoy time spent with your loved ones!</p>
<p>Mine's not coming home until December. He only has Thurs and Friday off, and with 1,500 miles and a couple of flight changes in between (not to mention the cost!), and his need to study, he's just staying in the dorm. A group is cooking a full Thanksgiving dinner in their dorm kitchen, so he won't be alone. I'm sending cookies (turkey shaped).</p>
<p>The last week or so I've really been missing him. I have no idea why it's hit me so hard now, but I suppose I can wait another 5 weeks. Sigh</p>
<p>Mine is off to Texas for Thanksgiving with the GF's family, but he is coming home for all of winter break and we did see him 2 weeks ago for Parents' Weekend. So, we cope.</p>
<p>My S visited us for ten days after three month sojourns in Africa, London and Beijing. </p>
<p>Besides making his favorite meals during each visit--which he LOVED--I schedule a couple of three hour hikes with S, H and me. We climb hills or meander down a deserted beach, chatting away, catching up on all the details he forgot to write about. Afterwards, we take away a special memory of that particular visit.</p>
<p>If we don't set aside some wide-open, non-food time, the visit disappears in a flurry of social engagements--just like my visits home to my parents.</p>