This Saturday

[DREDIOCK]

This Saturday.
My son will be leaving for college at Rutgers and staying on campus

He wont be far. As its only about a 20 minute drive. Practically a hop skip and a jump away.

As it stands now we already are seeing less of him at home then more of him

But still I am experiancing quite a bit of meloncoly and anxiety about the whole afffair.

Is this normal?

[nirvana]

I would say that you are just nervous about him being on his own, even if you aren't very far away.  He's your kid and you want to make sure he makes good decisions.  Trust that he'll do the right thing, and if he doesn't, well, he's only a hop, skip, and jump away from a beating.

[lukster]

Originally posted by DREDIOCK
This Saturday.
My son will be leaving for college at Rutgers and staying on campus

He wont be far. As its only about a 20 minute drive. Practically a hop skip and a jump away.

As it stands now we already are seeing less of him at home then more of him

But still I am experiancing quite a bit of meloncoly and anxiety about the whole afffair.

Is this normal?

Trust me, he'll be back. At only 20 minutes you'll probably see his laundry every weekend.

[xrtoronto]

Originally posted by DREDIOCK
But still I am experiancing quite a bit of meloncoly and anxiety about the whole afffair.

Is this normal?

Do you know what it is you are feeling anxious about Dred? Is it he's going away? Is it you'll miss him? Is it that him going to college makes you feel 'older'? (not easy getting older...you know...the empty nest syndrome)

[Frodo]

You normal???

Sent my first one to college 2 weeks ago. He is about an hour away. Had the same feelings. He doesn't like to call, but we can get him to e-mail, and this helps.

I did notice that we make fewer trips to the grocery store.

Good luck.

Frodo

[Nilsen]

Perfectly normal Dred. Be glad its a son and not a daughter you are sending off to the sharks

[DREDIOCK]

Originally posted by xrtoronto
Do you know what it is you are feeling anxious about Dred? Is it he's going away? Is it you'll miss him? Is it that him going to college makes you feel 'older'? (not easy getting older...you know...the empty nest syndrome)

Older? Naaa Age never really bothered me.
If it did I'd cut & color my hair.

But I look a hell of alot better then alot of people I know going on 45.
............................. ...................WOW! Next month I'm gonna be 45.
Weird.
Thought it was just the other day I was trying to drop Jimmy Martinez out of my 6th grade 3rd story window for head butting me

But I still look alot better then alot of people I know my age.

Could be empty next syndrome.
Gonna be weird cause Im used to him sitting next to me on his computer when hes home.
Sitting around BSing about whats on TV and just crap in general

 The rythem of his mach 200 typing speed driving me nuts. (sounds like a tickertape on hyperdrive)
I swear in the time it takes me to type the word. "this" he has a paragraph done the size of this post so far.

He's not around alot anymore But Im gonna miss him comming home at 2 AM and getting the dogs barking.
Gonna be weird not having to have extra food in the house to feed him.
Roughly half of what we spend on food for a family of 4 goes to his "snacks" (more like extra meals) alone
I swear Sharks dont have his appetite.

Gonna miss busting his chops and him feaking out when I change my clothes without leaving the room ( I do it to watch him freak out about it hehe)


And him busting my chops about stuff. the practical jokes we play on each other.. everything.
Yelling at him to stop tormenting his sister. Or to simply place his dishes in the dishwasher
Gonna miss my little boy who now stands taller then I.

One thing I noticed. Started about 6 months ago.

I can no longer listen to the song "Cats i the Cradle".....at ALL
And have banished it from play in my home or any radio station I listen to

[DREDIOCK]

Originally posted by Frodo
You normal???

Sent my first one to college 2 weeks ago. He is about an hour away. Had the same feelings. He doesn't like to call, but we can get him to e-mail, and this helps.

I did notice that we make fewer trips to the grocery store.

Good luck.

Frodo

Yea. Im normal. Like in Young Frankenstein "A-B-Normal"

LOL bout as normal as Im ever gonna be.

But to me I AM normal. It the rest of you thats weird LOL

As much time as he spends in using instant messanger I figger I can IM him whenever. Can have some real fun with that too. Particularly if he has friends around. hehe

The grocery bill will be noticably smaller Im sure

Of couse this is more then offest by tuition fees and books LOL

[lasersailor184]

Almost all parents want to be that "Helicopter Parent" you've been hearing about recently.  The one that hovers so closely over the kid's affairs and decisions that they often know that something happened before the kid does.  But being a helicopter parent does nothing but only encourage the kid to do what the parent doesn't want.


Let him do what he wants.  For the first half of the semester, tell him that he's on his own.  Make sure he leaves knowing how to do laundry (the right way).

But most importantly tell him that you are there for advice.  You have to admit it, but you're old compared to him.  He's probably only had about 2 years as an almost functioning adult.  You've had 25.  The key is that you give advice, not make the decisions for him.  And don't call every day, that's just lame.

BTW, I'm a rising senior in a 5 year program at PSU.




Frodo, which college?

[wooley]

See Rule #7

[Dago]

Dred,

I suspect what you are feeling is from a realization that the life you have known with your son is changing, and it will never be the same again.

Even though you know your son won't be far, he won't be at home anymore.

Its an adjustment you will get used to, but going through the experience takes a few days to get past.

Just be glad you have a son ready to move on because you know that is the way it is supposed to be.

dago

[RightF00T]

DRED, as much as you'll miss him try not to visit him *too* much, and see that he doesnt stick around your house too much for the weekends.  College is a time of growing up and figuring out how to live on your own, not 4 more years of babying by your parents.  When he is home though keep good communication(obviously) and ask the right questions about what he's been doin(favorite restaurant, favorite class, cutest girl on campus etc.).  Time at home is best when you're not worrying about things.

[lasersailor184]

cutest girl on campus etc

Or in the case of Rutgers, least ugliest girl on campus.

[xrtoronto]

I suspect your son will learn some new math:

A women's beauty is directly proportional to the number of beers you have drank.

Almost all women are beautiful when the bartender yells out: "last call"

[Flit]

It's funny ain't it ?
 I deal with it with kid's.
 Separation Anxiety
 Lot's of good stuff in this thread.