<p>Well my D just finished her last HS exam, calls me and her first statement NEXT STOP!! COLLEGE. Wow where did the time go. I am not worried about her succeeding or getting along but I am worried about stupid little things. She is an only child and not only is she leaving for College (being from Canada I want to call it University) but she is going state side, not far from home but still in another Country. Since being accepted we have had to sit down with her and work on things such as Amercian spelling, (been told they do not accept Canadian), what is an inch versus the centimetre, Farenhight versus Celcius She did not understand why 32 degress is freezing where here it is lets go swimming. Those are the kinds of silly things we are worried about while she on the other hand is worried about will she have time to do her homework or will there be enough time for her to practice (music major). I guess we did a good job of giving her self confidence but we also know that deep down she is scared witless and should be as this is a big chnage. How are all of you feeling? As I said she is an only child so we are going to miss her terribly.</p>
<p>It’s normal for BOTH of you to be nervous. Chances are you both will be fine too - after an adjustment period.
My good friend has a d who is going the other way (US to Canada). She’s a bit nervous but also excited. Doesn’t know her room assignment yet (most of her friends who are going in US do but I’m told Canada does it differently).
Sounds like a great adventure. Are there any other parents in your shoes? Maybe you could get together and support each other. We had a group get together for a “cry your eyes out lunch” just after college started. Actually, there were no tears at that point, but lots of interesting stories. Hang in there!</p>
<p>What kind of school is so worried about “correcting” her Canadian spelling and units of measure? That seems really weird to me. Plenty of people come here from all over the world and never get tutored in these things. They just pick it up.</p>
<p>And who told you they “don’t accept Canadian” spelling? What is “acceptable” is defined by the individual instructors, and I’ll bet most of them would find your daughter’s “centimetres” and “colours” charming. I think you are probably worried about nothing. You can relax!</p>
<p>As for who is more nervous: When my son flew unaccompanied to Hong Kong when he was 14, my wife and I took him to the airport and watched him get on the plane. As soon as they called his name, he was off without a moment’s hesitation. I was teary-eyed, but he didn’t look back once.</p>
<p>When he goes to college, I’m pretty sure he’s going to be 100% ready to dive in, and I’m going to be a nervous, emotional wreck. So, percussiondad, you have my sympathy.</p>
<p>Parents are more nervous, hands-down. We’ve worried about our kids since before they were born… it’s in the job description! :o</p>
<p>Actually, I’m not all that worried about geek_son… I think he’s going home this Fall. :)</p>
<p>percussiondad, I’m sympathetic but optimistic. It sounds like you have done a great job preparing your daughter for what matters. If US vs Canadian spelling is really that big an issue (which it probably isn’t), she can use the US English spell-checker in her word processor. And she’ll know the difference between 32F and 32C when she feels it! I would drill her on kilometers vs miles though, especially if she’s going to be driving! ;)</p>
<p>as a canadian who moved to the south 25 years ago, dont worry too much about the spelling (canadian/american) just tell her to leave out the “u” in words like colour/color or honour/honor. the only biggy was cheque, i would forget it is check here. my parents are still in canada and the temp thing becomes an automatic conversion…ie Dad will say its 20 and i automatically think about 70. depending on what region she goes to there will be a few things different for example, no pop here…its coke. bbq means pulled pork not something on the grill.</p>
<p>"Since being accepted we have had to sit down with her and work on things such as Amercian spelling, (been told they do not accept Canadian), what is an inch versus the centimetre, Farenhight versus Celcius She did not understand why 32 degress is freezing where here it is lets go swimming. :</p>
<p>Unless she will be going into journalism and taking courses in copy editing, using Canadian spelling won’t hurt her since Canadian spelling is in the dictionary. Most college profs don’t grade on spelling anyway.</p>
<p>She’ll easily learn the Farenheit scale and other measures used here by simply living here. One picks up such things automatically when surrounded by those standards. </p>
<p>Enjoy her last few weeks at home, and stop fretting about the small stuff.</p>