<p>DS launched not quite 2 weeks ago. He's a very emotionally undemonstrative kid. We were doing our first skype last night and he spontaneously said "I love you guys." Following upon a previous text where he'd said "love you too" which I'd taken as a momentary lapse on his part, this just floored me. </p>
<p>Also, he apparently visited the local zoo with some friends yesterday, an activity which we would have had to drag him kicking and screaming to if it had been with us :).</p>
<p>Made me realize he is individuating already. </p>
<p>I did see G#'s post about his daughter and public speaking and so curious to see what other parents have noticed in their kids that seems atypical since they've been off to college.</p>
<p>My son joined the sailing club. Same child who we had to drag to the beach or any outdoor activity that required physical activity. He sailed for two years and loved it. Husband and I were completely floored when he told us!</p>
<p>My son, the cynical emo outsider in high school, joined a sports team, captained the ultimate frisbee club and participated in student government his first month of college. The aliens deserted him thereafter and he reverted to his old habits by January.</p>
<p>I don’t know that it made my jaw drop, because ShawSon’s character seems relatively well-formed, but I did shake my head. He took a freshman seminar with a professor he loved. However, he couldn’t make office hours because of a scheduling conflict. So, the professor agreed to meet with him for an hour which became an hour a week during the term. ShawSon told me that he prepared for each meeting by making sure he had at least two intellectually intriguing, open-ended issues to discuss. I doubt that most kids (most adults?) do that kind of preparation – and I shook my head with respect.</p>
<p>My son complaining that the kitchen in his on-campus apartment style dorm, has no counter space and the sink is too small to wash dishes (both true). This coming from a kid whose cooking skills consist of heating up frozen food in a toaster oven, and whose kitchen cleaning-up habits at home amounts to maybe putting an empty glass in the dishwasher.</p>
<p>Our daughter hosted a party at her apartment and someone knocked a hand-sized hole in the wall. After watching a you-tube DIY repair video, she bought supplies, matched the paint and repaired the hole. This from a girl who barely knows a screwdriver from a hammer. Will wonders never cease??? Of course, I haven’t seen the repair…</p>
<p>D (conservative homeschooler) joined the college dance team. I tried not to say anything, --good exercise, right? --but it was apparent that she didn’t know much about dance teams. After their first performance at a basketball game, she realized that it wasn’t really “her.”<br>
She happened to sprain her ankle very badly the next day.</p>
<p>Son bought inflatable pool rafts at Target. Then he and 6 friends drifted down North Carolina’s Yadkin River for 5 hours. </p>
<p>Thank goodness I heard about this after the fact. The news around here at home is always filled with river accidents. I thought Son had a little sense. Boy did my jaw drop.</p>
<p>Not my kid, but his best friend. Best friend joined the cross country team. Most laid back, unathletic kid in the world. Took him almost an hour to amble into the kitchen from the TV room. Not only did his parents’ jaws drop, but everyone who knew him was stunned. As my son said, “Yeah he has the build for it, but …”</p>
<p>My friend’s son was a nondrinker in HS.
He has been in college for 2 weeks now. He called her this weekend for help finding a dentist in his area because he chipped a tooth in a fall after drinking too much. Yikes.</p>
<p>My freshman D2, after a week away at school, wrote on her facebook “I have the strongest, smartest, most amazing mother ever♥” and underneath as a comment added: “Seriously, I don’t know how I would live without her.” </p>
<p>Her cousin commented " I have NEVER heard you talk about your mom that way before." </p>
<p>Regarding the chipped tooth. Could be a blessing in disguise if it means he quits the drinking- have heard of other drinking/tooth chipping incidents- one saved the parents any potential fraternity membership fees…</p>
<p>First week of college, when I asked her what she had done that day, she replied, “I just vacuumed my room and made my bed.” Me: “Who are you and what have you done with my daughter?!”</p>
<p>I was surprised at how many different sports D was willing to participate in to help her dorm win intramural cups–swimming (she is NOT a water person), long distance running, fencing, to name a few. The dorm got points for everyone who participated, even if they didn’t place.</p>
<p>She sang one year in the gospel choir (she is NOT a singer).</p>
<p>Maybe she is a lot more than she let on during high school…</p>