Glad things worked out for your daughter in NYC.
Some of the roommate stories I am hearing from different sources are insane! Seriously, who raised some of these kids? It's like they've never met other humans before.
The other stories I find frightening are the excessive drinking ones. An acquaintances' daughter was walking with her friends recently and they came across a girl, alone, who was so drunk she could barely walk. Thankfully they called 911; the girl passed out before the paramedics arrived. Who knows when could have happened to her! Scary stuff!
This is just my personal opinion but I think we as parents have done this to some degree. We hover, we have such strict rules and the kids hit college and have no idea what one drink will do let alone ten. They have no idea how to manage alcohol consumption and in college its all about excess. Both of my kids had access to alcohol at home, both had overdone it at home and at least had a bit of a clue the difference between one and ten.
My DS was an athlete and therefore under a contract that he actually took seriously but once they hit college, these no longer exists and they don't have curfews or Mom/Dad's nose to sneak by while reeking of booze.
I remember when DS was heading to college, one of the dorm administrators reminded us of something (this was 10 years ago, its certainly has not changed for the better). Our kids have spent their entire lives with the majority having their own rooms and often bathrooms. While many have siblings, the age gaps have gotten larger as have the number of singletons. These kids have never had to share space, and when it comes time for college they are completely unprepared for the courtesy it takes to share space, especially with a stranger.
DD texted today that her first round of college mid term exams were DONE! And they weren't as bad as she had been expecting. Yay!
Yay, this must be a huge confidence booster!
I'm going to pick up my son tomorrow for his first weekend home! It's a lot of driving for me, but he wants to be here for homecoming. And I can't wait to have him back at home even though it's a really short visit.
I've not seen DS since early June, I'd drive a long way just for a few minutes. Have fun and enjoy your weekend!
This is what I'm hoping will happen for DD16. She'll be going on a choir trip there next summer, and entertains ideas of being a big time actress (so, NYC or LA). But generally she hates cities so hopefully she will have no desire to live in NYC after visiting!
Tomorrow is DD18's birthday so we're going up to take her out after she gets off work. I bought her a succulent for her room as she's been talking about having one. Also bringing her lots of food! DH hasn't seen her for two weeks (I know many go longer, but so far we haven't had to since she's so close). Sometimes I think he's having a harder time than me, knowing she might never live with us again and that we're almost an empty nest with our youngest being a junior who's gone all the time.
We were pleasantly surprised. Miss "I'm going to leave y'all and live in the big city" sure changed her tune once she actually spent some time in one of the biggest! Having a significant time there helped as well. Its one thing to be a tourist and do a whirlwind of fun, another to spend a month on ones own. Huge learning experience for her, just huge!
I had/have a harder time with DS being gone than I do with DD. Not sure why, when DD is gone, I relish the quiet and the cleaner house but I do miss chatting with her and the older she gets the less "teenagy" she acts and is therefore more pleasant to have around.
DH misses DD more when she is gone, they have always been close and they co-exist with each other much better than DD and I do.