Having a very hard time with DS going off to college

[clh2]

I am chuckling a little about the messy rooms some of you are experiencing. My DD turned into a neat freak when she went to college last year. The "trick" was having a gross sloppy roommate.
This all happened in a mere 7 weeks; until such time that one of the roommates friend threatened my DD after she got an RA involved with the roommate due to the drunk/drugged state she was in. The RA called the head RA for the university, who then called the police. Oh, but I digress.

DD had a single the rest of the year. Which she kept neat too!

(When DD was in high school I threatened from time to time to take a pic of her room and post it on the DIS boards)

 

[LisaR]

Here are a couple non-food related things DD has really enjoyed. I know these won't appeal to every kid, but maybe they will spark another idea.

1. Nerf basketball hoop that hangs on the door or wall with Command Strips. DD said this was a HUGE hit. We took this to her when we visited four weeks ago and she always tells me it is the best thing ever.

2. Anything Nerf. We went out and bought a few other Nerf things while she was here this weekend. She said they are very popular.

3. Magnetic letters for refrigerator doors or dorm doors (if they are magnetic). We sent these with DD and she wants more. Apparently they have a lot of fun with these.

4. Bubbles.

Yes, looking over the list, I too question how old these kids are!

 

[tar heel]

I second the Nerf idea. My son came home with quite a collection of Nerf guns last spring. They apparently have huge battles, both inside the dorm and outside.

 

[RejoyceoverDisney]

Oh my gosh. I don't know what happened that all these posts happened and I didn't get an email telling me so. hmmmm I'll have to fix and read tomorrow.

A quick skim and I want to comment on these.

About the walk to the store for tissues. In his defense I understand why. My son is not a "street smart kiddo" and well last year there were 3 muggings as this is a city area that if you walk off the main streets of the campus, there can be a little trouble. But mostly an issue after dark. Last year I drilled into my sons head to stay in the area that is considered campus so that he could avoid trouble.
So although the grocer isn't that far of a walk, it technically causes him to need to walk off the campus streets. (The college bought houses that were converted to dorms and classrooms. When walking down the street it is very residential looking and unless you are looking for signs you can't really tell you are on the college campus. It's actually kind of lovely.)

So with that, my preference is that if he walked down to the store he got a friend to go with him. That's a whole other story and if every 2-4 weeks I need to take a ride, gives me a reason to see him.

And the messy rooms. LOL ok I hope I didn't lead anyone to think it was "clean" but it wasn't gross. The boys do all have small trash cans with plastic bags lining them. I had to swap out my sons dirty tissue full bag for him. LOL
There wasn't clothes thrown everywhere, but I did see clothes on the floor in the closet. And the beds were not made. and the desks full of stuff.

BUT with 3 boys in a 17x14 ish room.... they are doing ok.
My main excitement was it didn't stink!!!

Ok time for me to get to bed.
Midnight comes way to fast around here.


and sorry to those that didn't have positive interaction moments with their loved ones. It's a growing experience for us as much as them.

 

[Arielle22]

I am going to visit DDs along with my sisters, a friend, a nephew, nieces and nieces boyfriend.

Originally it was a girls' weekend (why DH isn't going) but my nephew and the boyfriend got added to the mix. Nephew is only 8 so he is going with my sister. Boyfriend is from that part of the state and will visit his mom.

We plan on visiting the Super Walmart with them for any supplies they need, then going to a local fair. We will stay overnight and the girls will join us at the hotel.

DD18 is such a slob at home. She tells me she prefers to keep her dorm room clean which is a big surprise for me. I actually cleaned DDs' bathroom and posted pictures on Facebook to show them. Every day I walk by and look in to see it is still nice and clean.

 

[PRINCESS VIJA]

Here are a couple non-food related things DD has really enjoyed. I know these won't appeal to every kid, but maybe they will spark another idea.

1. Nerf basketball hoop that hangs on the door or wall with Command Strips. DD said this was a HUGE hit. We took this to her when we visited four weeks ago and she always tells me it is the best thing ever.

2. Anything Nerf. We went out and bought a few other Nerf things while she was here this weekend. She said they are very popular.

3. Magnetic letters for refrigerator doors or dorm doors (if they are magnetic). We sent these with DD and she wants more. Apparently they have a lot of fun with these.

4. Bubbles.

Yes, looking over the list, I too question how old these kids are!

Those are great ideas! I will look into the nerf basketball for sure.

DS's birthday is coming up soon. *Sigh*

Anyone else watch Parenthood? I was laughing at Sara trying to understand text "talk" and her missing her boy. Although I think she goes over the top and I sure hope I am not like that...

 

[marcyinPA]

I second the Nerf idea. My son came home with quite a collection of Nerf guns last spring. They apparently have huge battles, both inside the dorm and outside.

My DS said kids are all over campus with Nerf guns. I guess there is a club called "Humans vs. Zombies"....

 

[clh2]

Those are great ideas! I will look into the nerf basketball for sure.

DS's birthday is coming up soon. *Sigh*

Anyone else watch Parenthood? I was laughing at Sara trying to understand text "talk" and her missing her boy. Although I think she goes over the top and I sure hope I am not like that...

About that birthday...(sorry I do not recall how far away he is). There is an internet company called Wicked Good Cupcakes. (http://www.wickedgoodcupcakes.com
I don't know personally how good they are-I learned about them here on the Dis, but have not had an opportunity to send one to DD yet. (Last year her bday was on spring parents weekend, so we brought cake!)

 

[ILUVALASKA]

Just got back from 4 days at Carnegie Mellon, Parents' Weekend. What a fabulous weekend. DS looks good and is carrying around an inhaler. He won't go back to the health center for follow-up, too much homework. I guess he will be seen when he comes home at Xmas. Took his friends out for two meals, helped them stock up on food and supplies, and attended fabulous parent events. Love that school!

 

[mom2rtk]

I'm really missing my DS right now. Probably because it's closing in on 5 weeks since we saw him. My husband will drive down to get him on Friday though so we're looking forward to a great weekend!

I just found out one of his best friends from High School is expecting his second child. I don't even know what to say. He's not even 19 yet. Sigh. Sadly, that's not terribly uncommon around here. Double sigh. I see so many avenues opening up for my son if he keeps up the hard work at school. And I see roads closing for his friend. Triple sigh. I will add that the experience with the friend has provided more life lessons for my son that I could have ever offered with mere words.

 

[LisaR]

Just got back from 4 days at Carnegie Mellon, Parents' Weekend. What a fabulous weekend. DS looks good and is carrying around an inhaler. He won't go back to the health center for follow-up, too much homework. I guess he will be seen when he comes home at Xmas. Took his friends out for two meals, helped them stock up on food and supplies, and attended fabulous parent events. Love that school!

We have a friend applying to CM this year. The school would be a great fit for him. Glad you had a good time!!

I'm really missing my DS right now. Probably because it's closing in on 5 weeks since we saw him. My husband will drive down to get him on Friday though so we're looking forward to a great weekend!

Hang in there! Only a few more days.

I just found out one of his best friends from High School is expecting his second child. I don't even know what to say. He's not even 19 yet. Sigh. Sadly, that's not terribly uncommon around here. Double sigh. I see so many avenues opening up for my son if he keeps up the hard work at school. And I see roads closing for his friend. Triple sigh. I will add that the experience with the friend has provided more life lessons for my son that I could have ever offered with mere words.

DD just called. She has had one of the best days. She got A's on two tests today and she opened up her email to discover she was awarded a scholarship! It isn't huge, but every little bit counts!! It almost made up for her sore shoulder from getting her flu shot and the two snakes she saw while walking to class.

 

[mom2rtk]

DD just called. She has had one of the best days. She got A's on two tests today and she opened up her email to discover she was awarded a scholarship! It isn't huge, but every little bit counts!! It almost made up for her sore shoulder from getting her flu shot and the two snakes she saw while walking to class.

Yeah to Lisa Jr.!

But snakes? It had to be snakes.........

 

[LisaR]

Yeah to Lisa Jr.!

But snakes? It had to be snakes.........

She said they were staring at her in a menacing way.

 

[mom2rtk]

She said they were staring at her in a menacing way.

LOL, aren't ALL snakes menacing?

 

[nancygirl1]

Well, the past 2 weekends we have gotten to see each of our sons. The first twin was the one I told you about with the injured knee. He was home overnight so he could go to the orthopedic doctor. Our other twin son was home this passed weekend in order to work on Saturday. He left us on Saturday afternoon and went to visit his brother at school!

So we got to see each one of them for about 24 hours! I do love the car rides home, though. That's when you have them captive and they have to talk For us it's some of our best conversations.

It was wonderful to see them. I swear they both grew up so much in a month! We sent each one of them back with various items of home cooked food and some simple recipes for them to cook. Neither one of them have dining plans.

Tonight I had an awesome conversation with my son with the bad knee (not sure how to differentiate them.) He's the youngest twin so maybe he can be son #2 We talked for an hour and twenty minutes. He's a great conversationalist when he's in the mood. The reason for our call was to talk about his budget. He is living in a house off campus and has to pay all of his own expenses. It was a good talk. He's such a nice boy and I miss him terribly.

We are staying busy and are getting somewhat used to them being gone. I'm not crying anymore and can almost listen to country music again...haha. I can now go into their rooms and have given them a good, thorough cleaning.

The cats have taken over their rooms!They didn't know what to do when the boys were home even for one night. It was hysterical to see them sitting in front of the closed door, looking up and expecting it to open.

Hope everyone had a good weekend and are having a great week.

 

[RejoyceoverDisney]

Well, the past 2 weekends we have gotten to see each of our sons. The first twin was the one I told you about with the injured knee. He was home overnight so he could go to the orthopedic doctor. Our other twin son was home this passed weekend in order to work on Saturday. He left us on Saturday afternoon and went to visit his brother at school!

So we got to see each one of them for about 24 hours! I do love the car rides home, though. That's when you have them captive and they have to talk For us it's some of our best conversations.

It was wonderful to see them. I swear they both grew up so much in a month! We sent each one of them back with various items of home cooked food and some simple recipes for them to cook. Neither one of them have dining plans.

Tonight I had an awesome conversation with my son with the bad knee (not sure how to differentiate them.) He's the youngest twin so maybe he can be son #2 We talked for an hour and twenty minutes. He's a great conversationalist when he's in the mood. The reason for our call was to talk about his budget. He is living in a house off campus and has to pay all of his own expenses. It was a good talk. He's such a nice boy and I miss him terribly.

We are staying busy and are getting somewhat used to them being gone. I'm not crying anymore and can almost listen to country music again...haha. I can now go into their rooms and have given them a good, thorough cleaning.

The cats have taken over their rooms!They didn't know what to do when the boys were home even for one night. It was hysterical to see them sitting in front of the closed door, looking up and expecting it to open.

Hope everyone had a good weekend and are having a great week.

Love the part about car rides and captive!!!
I agree. There is no other distractions for him so he actually talks to me.
I miss my guy a lot today.

 

[PRINCESS VIJA]

About that birthday...(sorry I do not recall how far away he is). There is an internet company called Wicked Good Cupcakes. (http://www.wickedgoodcupcakes.com
I don't know personally how good they are-I learned about them here on the Dis, but have not had an opportunity to send one to DD yet. (Last year her bday was on spring parents weekend, so we brought cake!)

Thanks, I'll check it out!

Just got back from 4 days at Carnegie Mellon, Parents' Weekend. What a fabulous weekend. DS looks good and is carrying around an inhaler. He won't go back to the health center for follow-up, too much homework. I guess he will be seen when he comes home at Xmas. Took his friends out for two meals, helped them stock up on food and supplies, and attended fabulous parent events. Love that school!

Glad you had a great time. What kind of parent events were there? I'd love to hear about them.

I'm really missing my DS right now. Probably because it's closing in on 5 weeks since we saw him. My husband will drive down to get him on Friday though so we're looking forward to a great weekend!

I just found out one of his best friends from High School is expecting his second child. I don't even know what to say. He's not even 19 yet. Sigh. Sadly, that's not terribly uncommon around here. Double sigh. I see so many avenues opening up for my son if he keeps up the hard work at school. And I see roads closing for his friend. Triple sigh. I will add that the experience with the friend has provided more life lessons for my son that I could have ever offered with mere words.

Hope you have a great visit! So sad to hear about the friend with another baby on the way. So hard to imagine. I agree with you, your son will see those life lessons through his friend.

DD just called. She has had one of the best days. She got A's on two tests today and she opened up her email to discover she was awarded a scholarship! It isn't huge, but every little bit counts!! It almost made up for her sore shoulder from getting her flu shot and the two snakes she saw while walking to class.

Congrats on the good news! SNAKES??? Can't imagine that! And thanks for the reminder on the flu shot, I'll have to remind DS about that.

Well, the past 2 weekends we have gotten to see each of our sons. The first twin was the one I told you about with the injured knee. He was home overnight so he could go to the orthopedic doctor. Our other twin son was home this passed weekend in order to work on Saturday. He left us on Saturday afternoon and went to visit his brother at school!

So we got to see each one of them for about 24 hours! I do love the car rides home, though. That's when you have them captive and they have to talk For us it's some of our best conversations.

It was wonderful to see them. I swear they both grew up so much in a month! We sent each one of them back with various items of home cooked food and some simple recipes for them to cook. Neither one of them have dining plans.

Tonight I had an awesome conversation with my son with the bad knee (not sure how to differentiate them.) He's the youngest twin so maybe he can be son #2 We talked for an hour and twenty minutes. He's a great conversationalist when he's in the mood. The reason for our call was to talk about his budget. He is living in a house off campus and has to pay all of his own expenses. It was a good talk. He's such a nice boy and I miss him terribly.

We are staying busy and are getting somewhat used to them being gone. I'm not crying anymore and can almost listen to country music again...haha. I can now go into their rooms and have given them a good, thorough cleaning.

The cats have taken over their rooms!They didn't know what to do when the boys were home even for one night. It was hysterical to see them sitting in front of the closed door, looking up and expecting it to open.

Hope everyone had a good weekend and are having a great week.

I agree with you, those car rides are THE BEST! DS gets in and just talks and talks and talks. LOVE getting the updates! WOW, that is also great responsibility to learn all of the finances so early. It will set him up for success later on, that is certain. THe story on the cats is quite funny too. DS hasn't been back home yet, I hope I handle it as well as you are.

 

[PRINCESS VIJA]

I don't know about you guys, but the weirdest things make me all of a sudden miss him so very much.

Last night we were all getting ready for bed, and we were just talking about the pie we want to make and get cinnamon ice cream from a nearby ice cream shop. I realized how he won't be here for the usual fall treat and how much he would like it.

It just felt all of a sudden like something was missing and we weren't complete. KWIM?

It was especially hard when DD reiterated that she is afraid "it won't ever be the same again... will it?"

How do you handle that question from younger kids who are so terribly missing their siblings?

 

[mom2rtk]

I don't know about you guys, but the weirdest things make me all of a sudden miss him so very much.

Last night we were all getting ready for bed, and we were just talking about the pie we want to make and get cinnamon ice cream from a nearby ice cream shop. I realized how he won't be here for the usual fall treat and how much he would like it.

It just felt all of a sudden like something was missing and we weren't complete. KWIM?

It was especially hard when DD reiterated that she is afraid "it won't ever be the same again... will it?"

How do you handle that question from younger kids who are so terribly missing their siblings?

Oh no! Your DD's comment makes me sad.

It hit me the other day when I was in the car. I saw a couple boys walking along the side of the road in the neighborhood. One looked just like my son from a distance..... but around 7th grade. For a moment, it seemed like it really was him..... if I turned back the clock. But I can't. Just such a strange feeling.

So I just keep telling myself how proud I am, and how happy he's not in his friend's position..... and I move forward.

 

[minniebeth]

Hope everyone is doing well~ still loving reading what you are all sharing.

Got my dawber in the mud a little this week. The first 4 or 5 weeks, DS was great about texting and calling a couple times a week. Sometimes the calls were 5 mintue conversations, sometimes they were an hour, depending on how long he wanted to talk, I always took his lead.
I'm pretty sure he's adjusted and busy now, I don't hear from him much anymore. Don't get me wrong, that's what I want for him! Just sad for myself a little, I really miss him. I'm not one to share my feelings too much to friends (they do ask, but I don't think they really want to know every detail about the college separation, you know?), other than the ones that have kids who have left for college this year, so I know a lot of you understand.

On a different note, I did use the links to order from Popcorn Factory and Cheryl's cookies that someone posted a while back. I sent the popcorn samples and the cookies with free shipping special. I sent them to DS, his girlfriend, my nephew, and several of our friends' kids, and they all loved them! Very affordable little treats! I can't remember who posted them, but THANK YOU for sharing that!!