I was a mess when my last one went off to college. I cried all the way home and couldn't bear to look into his bedroom, so I kept the door closed for a week. When my tears began to dry up, I noticed how clean my house stayed all the time LOL.

He's since graduated and now living back home. I miss my empty (clean) nest!!!

When I moved Parke into the dorm, about 80 miles away, he dr0ve all the way home that nite. AND missed his first college football game, duh

I didn't cry when we moved my ds into his college dorm.
BUT, 2 weeks later, driving home after work @ midnight a maudlin song came on the radio that made me think of him & it hit me how he went so quickly from my little boy to a college freshman. I bawled my eyes out. I could hardly make it the last 2 miles. It was a catharsis. I was ok after that.

So, Kath don't be surprised if you have a delayed "reaction". It is a happy time, but also tinged with a bit of sadness.

Matti, that is so funny. When sad things happen around me, I try to look for a silver lining because there is one in most cases.

congrats! i didn't realize he was going this fall, i thought he had 1 more yr! that's very cool, i hope he does well and i hope he decides he'd like to go the physics route :-) or engineering lol. when he gets further along into expensive books and you are looking for alternatives let me know i'll get you info, DH never bought books for more than 1/2 what the school wanted, most of the time pennies on the dollar.

my dh just got his BS Mechanical Engineering (w/several honors), couple of weekends ago. starting monday he's a fulltime MS student w/ only 8 classes left, taking 3 this semester so he'll be done in a yr! well unless some high paying job comes along...which already has w/ a long story about moving :-/ ~ liz

Here at UND, from the President and sports teams etc all come out and help the incoming freshmans move from the car to their rooms. On TV tonight, it shows the President of the university helping unload boxes, suitcases etc and welcoming the students. It really means alot to all. The parents appreciate it too. They all wear red shirts with their names.

This is the 4th year I've moved DD into a dorm or apartment. I always thought I'd cry and I've come close... but never shed a tear. She always seemed so excited and happy. IF she had seemed sad I may have cried. She is a very messy child... that helps keep my sadness to a minimum. lol

At her first college, the girl's basketball team helped move her things in. In the dorm last year there was a elevator... very nice considering she was on the 4th floor! This year we loaded the trailer, but found some movers to help unload... so very worth the minimal price we paid.

How are the exchange students working out? Our neighbors had one that was homesick the entire 9 months. Ours didn't miss her family at all. I think she called them just 4 times the whole school year!

I'm the biggest crier you ever met when it comes to saying goodbye to my kids, and I wish I wasn't. But there was something about every new year at school that choked me up every time we dropped off another one, every year. When the last one went for her final semester, she hugged me and said I could stop crying now, "we're all grown up now, Mom, you don't have to worry anymore." That sent me into a three day frenzy, and then she graduated and moved to S Korea!

If I had my way, we'd all live together in a family compound, in and out of each other's houses all the time.

Good luck to all of you and your students. It really is a joyous time, watching your children grow, isn't it.

Boy does time fly. I thought we had another year of high school too. But then it dawned on my that our boys are the same age. I knew that!!

Mine is living at home for at least this year. I still can't believe I don't have a child in High School anymore.

Trish in SC

The hardest one for me to say goodbye to was the first one. That marked the beginning of a permanent change in our family life, and I struggled to stay smiling so as not to ruin her exciting day as we all gave her a hug goodbye before returning home. I still remember my quivering chin and mouth that her roommate saw over her shoulder as I gave her that departing hug. I held the hug till I could compose myself. I think she had no idea, anyhow I hope so.

And it WAS the beginning of a change in our lives. Next her brothers went away to college, then she graduated and moved away, then her brothers graduated and moved away, then she married and now doesn't get to come here for one of the holidays every year. but when she does come home, she brings two darling little boys whom we all love. And we all don't like sharing her that way at the holidays. Now another kid talks of getting engaged, and we will have to share him too that means. It is great to see them do so well and grow up, but I am like Shermann. I would love one big family compound for us all.

didn't cry with the first cause she went local and was home...the next decided to save some cash , so did local community college..the twins, one had a freeby for community (which lasted a year..she just HAD to be with her friends) ds2 went away to il, to a small college (omg did it cost him) and we were so tired taking him there and back didn't have time to cry!

a sam's run is a must before leaving them, if any distance...our one kid supplemented his 2 meals per with all sorts of goodies from there...

sheila..know what you mean about the holidays...dh and i spend thanksgiving alone...actually we are starting to like it...the kids show up after, usually friday or ? but i vowed i wouldn't be that nagging mil insisting the kids do this or that and have been rewarded...and we have a late christmas day on christmas, so that's ok, too..

lol on the compound..that's what dh always says he'd do if we won the lottery! ours would have to be huge, with 4 kids and 8 grands...assorted sils/dils...

When we took our oldest to school the first time she was only 17; we had five younger kids, the baby only a year and a half old, and of course we all went! The baby was the belle of the dorm, all the scared freshmen and their parents doting and cooing with baby and her 4 1/2 YO big sister, many hiding their own tears, I think. All I could see through my tears was the empty house we were going home to without our wonderful eldest child.

When that baby girl grew up and left for college herself many years later, it felt even worse than it did every time we took all her big brothers and sisters to school. By that time, baby was an old hand at college life, having been to so many colleges and grad schools over her 18 years that she wasn't stressed at all. College was the first school she ever attended where I didn't work in the library! (I started at her grade school when she was in 1st grade; when we moved to another district, I started in her HS library with her. She loved having me in her schools, and I loved being there.)

Yes, susanjf, a huge compound! We have six kids and six gkids so far, so we'd need at least seven houses for now! In the mean time we are seriously considering building a big house and living with one of our sons and his family.

I'm so very glad the years of taking kids to school are over, but at the same time, oh to go back to them. It's still a long time till the gkids start leaving; maybe I'll be too old to cry when they do.

Still no tears. He just texted me to say he got dragged to a party and is now deaf. LOL! He's not an outgoing, party type so I'm glad he's going out. They're having all kinds of events till school starts mid week. Thought about going to the induction ceremony this afternoon and taking the girls but it's supposed to storm today. It's already raining. We'll see.

Liz, I told him to buy used books at the bookstore or check out Half.com or Amazon. Congratulations to your DH!

Meriend, the president and vice president of the school was in line shaking hands, handing out water and talking to parents and students. We got in the "no president" line because he was taking too long with one family. Only to meet and shake the hand of the vice president-lol. They didn't tell us she would be there in the other line. Not that it was bad, just wanted to get unloaded after sitting in that long line of cars so long. They also had upper classmen and staff helping with the move, and shopping carts from Sam's Club.

Lydia, the exchange students are still homesick but are doing ok. Johanna stopped up my toilet last night, though...couldn't unclog it last night so I'll try again later today. I put a big sign on it in case they forget not to use it. I've never not been able to unclog it. She said she didn't put anything other than tp in it. Going to try and have a yard sale tomorrow. They're going to help me get ready for it along with Lauren today.

When I moved into the dorm for the first time, my whole family brought me to campus and moved me in. I was excited, but a bit sad.

When the moving-in bustle was finally over and my family had left, I sat down on the bed and started feeling homesick. Then I looked over at the desk and saw a letter left by my mom. My mom had never written me a letter before.

The letter said how proud she was of me, how principled and honest I was, how glad she was for my strong faith in God.

It was the most wonderful letter, and it gave me such great pleasure. Until I lost it.

Fortunately, I still remember most of it, some 35 years later.

Good luck to your son and to you, Kath.