Does your child go to college but live at home?

[mom2rtk]

Another reason why I could never live in the south.

Couldn't agree more! I went to the school with the most losing team in football history...... and was completely good with it!

 

[Tink9721]

College freshman here! I started school last week as a commuter. My school is about 25-35 minutes away. So far, I'm very happy with my decision to commute. I made my schedule so that I don't have Friday classes and my earliest class is at 10:00 AM so I don't have to worry about being late.

My mom didn't encourage me to live at home, or to live on campus. I'm sure she's happier with me home(My parents are divorced and it's just the two of us at home) but it was my decision. I love having my own room, my own bathroom, and coming home to my familiar house with my mom, my cats, and my dog. It doesn't mean I'm too immature to move out. I could've done it. I just knew I'd be happier at home. I think that living in a dorm with roommates would stress me out too much. Maybe it would be different if I could get a single room, but those don't exist on my campus. There's one building with doubles and triples, and the rest are all suites. Why should I pay an extra $10,000 a year to live 12 miles away when I don't want to?

I don't feel like I'll be missing out on anything. Maybe I'm wrong, but I think this is going to work for me. Two of my best friends are going to the same school as me. One of them lives on campus, one lives at home. Everyone is different. I'm making friends, I love my classes, I'm enjoying college. This is just what I think will work best for me.

And there is no "right way" or "wrong way" to attend college. Every person is different. Every family is different.

 

[herdtoDisney]

For our oldest DS, we initially thought he might live at home and do his major at a state school near here-but then they moved the major to Uconn only which is a long commute. He did get accepted there but his school, which is in NY, offered him a better financial package so he is there, living on campus.

For us it was all about the $. I really wished the closer state school had kept his program. He lives at home during the summer, he has a job at school and a full time job here too. It's not exactly a party school and I don't think it even has football. I think hockey is the thing there.

Anyhow, ds is welcome to live at home as long as he wishes. I actually encourage him to, even after graduating, to maybe save up a downpayment for a house. Same for all our kids. I didn't go through all I did to become a homeowner, just to empty the place out

 

[Deb in IA]

College freshman here! I started school last week as a commuter. My school is about 25-35 minutes away. So far, I'm very happy with my decision to commute. I made my schedule so that I don't have Friday classes and my earliest class is at 10:00 AM so I don't have to worry about being late.

My mom didn't encourage me to live at home, or to live on campus. I'm sure she's happier with me home(My parents are divorced and it's just the two of us at home) but it was my decision. I love having my own room, my own bathroom, and coming home to my familiar house with my mom, my cats, and my dog. It doesn't mean I'm too immature to move out. I could've done it. I just knew I'd be happier at home. I think that living in a dorm with roommates would stress me out too much. Maybe it would be different if I could get a single room, but those don't exist on my campus. There's one building with doubles and triples, and the rest are all suites. Why should I pay an extra $10,000 a year to live 12 miles away when I don't want to?

I don't feel like I'll be missing out on anything. Maybe I'm wrong, but I think this is going to work for me. Two of my best friends are going to the same school as me. One of them lives on campus, one lives at home. Everyone is different. I'm making friends, I love my classes, I'm enjoying college. This is just what I think will work best for me.

Tink, other than a few minor differences, your note could have been written by my own DD - she's a junior, and she has a younger brother as well as both parents at home.

DD DID live in the dorm in her freshman (double with a friend from high school) and sophomore (single room) years. She did not like it. Period.

She is much happier now, and like you, has friends, is enjoying her classes, and has plenty of extracurricular activities.

 

[luvsJack]

Another reason why I could never live in the south.

College football--you don't know what you are missing!!

I live close to USM which is NOT one of the bigger football schools and its still a HUGE thing here. Saturdays in this town are pretty much reserved for USM games. You plan NOTHING on days of their home games and when its Homecoming--life stops for the day.

 

[mom2rtk]

College football--you don't know what you are missing!!

I live close to USM which is NOT one of the bigger football schools and its still a HUGE thing here. Saturdays in this town are pretty much reserved for USM games. You plan NOTHING on days of their home games and when its Homecoming--life stops for the day.

.... if you're into that sort of thing. Hard as it is to believe, some are not.

 

[KimR]

.... if you're into that sort of thing. Hard as it is to believe, some are not.

I'm with you. I despise football and even though we don't live in a college town life seems to revolve around football in the fall. You can always tell when GA plays in the evenings because we'll go out to dinner on Saturday night and the restaurants are dead. Everyone is at home watching the game.

 

[luvsJack]

.... if you're into that sort of thing. Hard as it is to believe, some are not.

I actually don't watch football games unless I have a kid playing or cheering. If I have to go to a game, I prefer high school football (which are the NEXT biggest thing here )

Its the party atmosphere of before and after the game that is fun to me. The campus is full of folks tailgating for the entire day before the game. Lots of visiting back and forth and just having a good time.

Of course everyone is not "into that sort of thing", didn't mean to say that they were.

 

[NotUrsula]

And to reiterate my original point; if you are a woman it's fine to "not be into that." If you are male in the Deep South, you essentially have no choice but to pay attention, at least a little bit. It is what men talk about at work, and it is a HUGE part of client entertainment, too. Quite frankly, any man working in the South who cannot converse intelligently about football is going to be working under a handicap.

My teen DS hates football, but I've forced him to learn the rules and read the scores on Sunday. It is a habit that I think he needs to get used to, because it is very likely that he will end up attending one of the major SEC schools.

 

[okeydokey]

And to reiterate my original point; if you are a woman it's fine to "not be into that." If you are male in the Deep South, you essentially have no choice but to pay attention, at least a little bit. It is what men talk about at work, and it is a HUGE part of client entertainment, too. Quite frankly, any man working in the South who cannot converse intelligently about football is going to be working under a handicap.

My teen DS hates football, but I've forced him to learn the rules and read the scores on Sunday. It is a habit that I think he needs to get used to, because it is very likely that he will end up attending one of the major SEC schools.

I live in the South. I don't find this to be true. However, if you don't hunt or fish........

 

[Pigeon]

I live in the South. I don't find this to be true. However, if you don't hunt or fish........

The list just keeps growing.

I won't even mention the bugs.

 

[mom2rtk]

And to reiterate my original point; if you are a woman it's fine to "not be into that." If you are male in the Deep South, you essentially have no choice but to pay attention, at least a little bit. It is what men talk about at work, and it is a HUGE part of client entertainment, too. Quite frankly, any man working in the South who cannot converse intelligently about football is going to be working under a handicap.

My teen DS hates football, but I've forced him to learn the rules and read the scores on Sunday. It is a habit that I think he needs to get used to, because it is very likely that he will end up attending one of the major SEC schools.

Eh..... I just encourage them to be the best version of themselves they can. I honestly can't imagine expending energy on forcing my teen to learn football if they hate it. I'm sure they will find their own way with their clients one day.

 

[luvsJack]

Eh..... I just encourage them to be the best version of themselves they can. I honestly can't imagine expending energy on forcing my teen to learn football if they hate it. I'm sure they will find their own way with their clients one day.

Its just a matter of knowing enough about it to have a reasonably intelligent conversation about it.

Knowing WHO each team is and who the rivals are and when a BIG game is happening and a bit about the scores.

I wouldn't worry so much about the conversation at the water cooler, but when talking to clients/customers etc. its best to be able to talk about what interest them and most of them are interested in college football in the south. Just the way the world works.

Somebody said they find it to be more about hunting and fishing and I find that odd because its really the opposite around here. There are diehard hunters and fishermen but the majority of all men are football fans.

 

[cruisnfamily]

Eh..... I just encourage them to be the best version of themselves they can. I honestly can't imagine expending energy on forcing my teen to learn football if they hate it. I'm sure they will find their own way with their clients one day.

Its just a matter of knowing enough about it to have a reasonably intelligent conversation about it.

Knowing WHO each team is and who the rivals are and when a BIG game is happening and a bit about the scores.

I wouldn't worry so much about the conversation at the water cooler, but when talking to clients/customers etc. its best to be able to talk about what interest them and most of them are interested in college football in the south. Just the way the world works.

Somebody said they find it to be more about hunting and fishing and I find that odd because its really the opposite around here. There are diehard hunters and fishermen but the majority of all men are football fans.

I think you are making HUGE generalizations about THE SOUTH. I live in THE SOUTH too, assuming FL counts, and I just don't think this is the case. Yes, guys talk about sports or hunting or fishing...but to imply that your son, or anybody else's, could not succeed in their future career without being able to converse about football is just ridiculous. It's not "just the way the world works".

 

[Robinrs]

Oh, but your DS needs to care, at least if he's planning to stay around Atlanta. Probably 60% of male workplace water-cooler conversation in the Deep South revolves around college sports, especially your state's college football rivalries. You at least have to know who is who, even if you don't like the sport.

I've been in the broadcast industry for 30 years, 23 of them here in Georgia. I've worked for Fox Sports, Turner Communications,Comcast Sports South and worked with the Hawks, Braves and Falcons on the radio. I know enough, I'm just not interested in it.

Another reason why I could never live in the south.

Another reason I have to LEAVE the South.

College football--you don't know what you are missing!!

Oh we KNOW. We just don't care.

.... if you're into that sort of thing. Hard as it is to believe, some are not.

 

[Robinrs]

Its just a matter of knowing enough about it to have a reasonably intelligent conversation about it.

Knowing WHO each team is and who the rivals are and when a BIG game is happening and a bit about the scores.

I wouldn't worry so much about the conversation at the water cooler, but when talking to clients/customers etc. its best to be able to talk about what interest them and most of them are interested in college football in the south. Just the way the world works.

Somebody said they find it to be more about hunting and fishing and I find that odd because its really the opposite around here. There are diehard hunters and fishermen but the majority of all men are football fans.

This is not just a regional thing but a cultural thing. I don't know ANY men who hunt or fish. It's not the way MY world works.

We do have a few football diehards in the office. They're both women and we're all when they start going off about it. I realize everyone has their preferences, not EVERYONE is into what everyone is into. Most of the people I work with are from all over, Atlanta has VERY few true Atlantans anymore. Most of my office is from the North and all of our bigwigs are from NY and California. We talk about the Mets, the Lakers and the Yankees at meetings, not the Dogs and the Yellow Jackets.

 

[Swan4Me]

I live in the South. I don't find this to be true. However, if you don't hunt or fish........

I agree-its really 4 things-
Football
Hunting
Fishing
Golf

 

[luvsJack]

This is not just a regional thing but a cultural thing. I don't know ANY men who hunt or fish. It's not the way MY world works.

We do have a few football diehards in the office. They're both women and we're all when they start going off about it. I realize everyone has their preferences, not EVERYONE is into what everyone is into. Most of the people I work with are from all over, Atlanta has VERY few true Atlantans anymore. Most of my office is from the North and all of our bigwigs are from NY and California. We talk about the Mets, the Lakers and the Yankees at meetings, not the Dogs and the Yellow Jackets.

I can't say how it is or isn't where you are, I don't live there. But I know what its like here. College football is a big thing here. Its a big thing in a LOT of the south.

I'm not sure why you think talking about pro teams is somehow better than college teams??? Whatever. I am not really "into" either.

The tailgating parties are a huge part of college football and they can be a big networking event. They can be a useful tool. Doesn't mean everyone has to use that tool. (there are a huge number of people that go to the tailgating parties and never set foot in the football games)

I am just saying (actually it was another poster that even brought this up) that it can be useful to know a little about college football. I wouldn't sit and watch a game just so I could talk about the details, but just know enough to say "that was a close game" or "bulldogs did pretty good on Saturday". Southern men like to talk and they like to talk about common interest and football can be that common interest someone can spark between them and someone higher up the chain or a client or customer or whatever.

As for hunting and fishing, if the men you know grew up in another part of the south; more of them may have hunted and fished before moving to Atlanta than you realize. Actually what I said was that I don't find it to be as big a thing as football like another poster said it was in her area.

 

[Swan4Me]

I can't say how it is or isn't where you are, I don't live there. But I know what its like here. College football is a big thing here. Its a big thing in a LOT of the south.



I am just saying (actually it was another poster that even brought this up) that it can be useful to know a little about college football. I wouldn't sit and watch a game just so I could talk about the details, but just know enough to say "that was a close game" or "bulldogs did pretty good on Saturday". Southern men like to talk and they like to talk about common interest and football can be that common interest someone can spark between them and someone higher up the chain or a client or customer or whatever.

.

I agree. My DH isnt a Football fan, but he knows enough to know who won, how close the score is etc. He's in sales and many clients are rabid Football fans.

 

[jodifla]

College freshman here! I started school last week as a commuter. My school is about 25-35 minutes away. So far, I'm very happy with my decision to commute. I made my schedule so that I don't have Friday classes and my earliest class is at 10:00 AM so I don't have to worry about being late.

My mom didn't encourage me to live at home, or to live on campus. I'm sure she's happier with me home(My parents are divorced and it's just the two of us at home) but it was my decision. I love having my own room, my own bathroom, and coming home to my familiar house with my mom, my cats, and my dog. It doesn't mean I'm too immature to move out. I could've done it. I just knew I'd be happier at home. I think that living in a dorm with roommates would stress me out too much. Maybe it would be different if I could get a single room, but those don't exist on my campus. There's one building with doubles and triples, and the rest are all suites. Why should I pay an extra $10,000 a year to live 12 miles away when I don't want to?

I don't feel like I'll be missing out on anything. Maybe I'm wrong, but I think this is going to work for me. Two of my best friends are going to the same school as me. One of them lives on campus, one lives at home. Everyone is different. I'm making friends, I love my classes, I'm enjoying college. This is just what I think will work best for me.

So how is this different from high school? Of course it's comfortable to have all your own stuff around you....but where's the adventure in staying home.

I just don't get this generation of kids.