<p>I am so proud that S2 far away from home for the first time at 18 has handled things pretty much on his own. I provide advice and input and offer moral support, but he's had to figure out a lot of things on his own. He, too, would be mortified if Mom called an office on campus, especially to complain about something. I'm still waiting for the laundry SOS that never came. </p>
<p>H & I are from an era when if you got in trouble for something at school, you got in trouble doubly so at home. No going to to the school and complaining about unfair treatment/grades. Before S2 left, I reminded him that no one will ever care as much about him succeeding, be as proud of his accomplishments and empathize with his problems, as much as his parents.</p>
<p>There are certain areas where parents have no business getting involved, but the line seems to be shifting rapidly. It was rare and considered very bad form to complain about room assignments, for instance, in my day, but now the line is long about that, and I don't blame parents screaming about overcrowding their kid at the prices they are paying. I was miffed that our son was initially assigned a triple as the housing situation was one I specifically asked some pointed questions that were answered in a way that made it seem like a very remote possibility which it was in the past. Also no cost adjustment was made, probably because the school just was not used to dealing with the issue. But at the prices we are paying, I think it is a valid gripe, especially when the issue was one that was discussed with the college before. A kid can complain about the matter, but it does make a bigger impact when the check book holder raises a stink about such things.</p>
<p>Technology seems to make the biggest difference. No need for parents to communicate news from the hometown as students all can access news/information on the web and likewise keep up with each other. I remember writing the tuition checks from my account, son has his bills sent home where we open his mail. With online grades there is no envelope sent home for parents to ask questions about. But we parents can access a lot more information about the school- including a class syllabus in some cases...</p>