Taking Our Firstborn to College

Tomorrow is the day. I’m still having a hard time believing that my son is leaving for college. I’m wondering what I’ll do to distract myself. I’m wondering how often we’ll communicate. I hear from other parents that they are in communication with their college student all the time. I doubt that the frequency of our communication will be as much. I’m wondering how dull the Steeler games are going to be to watch without him.

People keep asking about where he’s going and when he’s leaving. I’m actually kind of excited for him, and in a way, I’m excited for our whole family. The girls have already bought paint to redecorate his room. I’m hoping that having separate rooms will help them to get along better. I have the feeling that we’re all going to interact with each other differently. My son’s transition to college is going to open up a whole new and different world for all of us. We’re going to connect with a different school, in a different state with a whole lot of different people.

It is interesting how deliberate the university is in trying to help parents with this transition. They have resources online for us to read. They are very clear that we have to start giving up some control. On the web site for parents they used an interesting phrase, “You are on your own, but we’re here for you if you need us.” As I think about it, that’s not a bad goal, kind of like the Love and Logic goal of being the “consultant parent.” Well, wish us luck. I’ll share the reality of the situation next month.