Nan in Mass Posted October 14, 2009 Share Posted October 14, 2009 Who went? Did you have a good time? Was it hard to leave? We camped nearby and both our sons joined us for at least part of the time. My parents came too, and my middle one's best friend (now living in NH). We saw the middle one inducted into the regiment and watched drill and lifeboat competitions. We took a friend of his out to dinner but we never did meet his roommate. I'm a bit worried about some things and definately not worried about others. We bought him a drysuit, so I'm not quite as worried about him staying warm as I was. We also got to see where our oldest is living (off campus). No wonder he is so much happier this semester! His dog nearly jumped out the car window when she realized we were going to the same campground where she got to see him last year. She ran all over looking for him until he finally showed up. We dropped the middle one off where the oldest is working, to do his homework there, when we left. It was really hard to leave. It feels like we should all be moving to where they are so we can keep living together. -Nan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathy in Richmond Posted October 14, 2009 Share Posted October 14, 2009 Nan, it's great that you had some time together as a family with your older sons! Nothing like seeing the kids in person - no amount of phone calls or emails is the same. We moms need to *see* how they are doing. We leave Thursday morning for a long day's drive up to Massachusetts for my son's family weekend! My dd and I are scrambling now to get caught up on schoolwork and college app work so that we can thoroughly enjoy this time with him and his friends, and to do some sightseeing in Boston. We are so looking forward to it - haven't seen him since May! ~Kathy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted October 16, 2009 Author Share Posted October 16, 2009 I hope you have a wonderful trip. And I hope no trees fall on you. It is SO windy today (Friday). Let me know how it goes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharon in MD Posted October 17, 2009 Share Posted October 17, 2009 I am really looking forward to it! I'll let you know what it is like! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted October 17, 2009 Share Posted October 17, 2009 We will have to pass on parents' weekend due to distance and cost. But we're looking forward to seeing our daughter come December! If you can go, have fun! Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted October 17, 2009 Author Share Posted October 17, 2009 : ( I'm sorry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted October 18, 2009 Share Posted October 18, 2009 Thanks for the sympathy, Nan. (We are not sobbing ourselves to sleep!) It helps a great deal to know that she is so happy about her entire experience. Who knows? Perhaps the local family will attend in our stead. I'll have to mention it to them. Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LynnG in Arizona Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 Just got back yesterday. I surprised DD-18 by bringing along DD-3 . . . they were so happy to see each other! I had a good weekend, though it went too quickly. I got to do a campus tour, have lunch with DD at the Student Union, visit her room, spend a few minutes with her roommate, meet a couple of DD's friends, and go to a football game. We also spent a good half day shopping - mostly Target, and mostly for mundane necessities. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 Glad to hear that you had such a good time, Lynn, and how nice that you got to take along the three year old. Doing mundane things can be a real pleasure with the right company .... Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharon in MD Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 DS is sick....my bet is H1N1. He is going to the Dr. tomorrow at the university clinic. We will still go up, if he is up to it, but it may be a very different visit than that originally planned. If you pray, please join us in prayer. This is a scary bug. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LynnG in Arizona Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 DS is sick....my bet is H1N1. He is going to the Dr. tomorrow at the university clinic. We will still go up, if he is up to it, but it may be a very different visit than that originally planned. If you pray, please join us in prayer. This is a scary bug. I'm sorry, Sharon. That would be very worrisome. :( I know this is not what you had planned or would have wanted . . . but it may end up a blessing in disguise that you can help him out and nurture him. Our dd was sick at the beginning of the school year, and it was extremely hard to be this far away from her. May he heal quickly, whatever it is. Please keep us posted. :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 DS is sick....my bet is H1N1. He is going to the Dr. tomorrow at the university clinic. We will still go up, if he is up to it, but it may be a very different visit than that originally planned. If you pray, please join us in prayer. This is a scary bug. Sending your son best wishes, Sharon--and virtual hugs to you! How hard this must be from a distance. Sigh.... :grouphug: Jane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted October 21, 2009 Author Share Posted October 21, 2009 That's a good idea. My sons' school has a program where local people adopt the ones whose families are too far away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted October 21, 2009 Author Share Posted October 21, 2009 Yes, if he is over the worst and convalescing (another word I've never written before...), he'll be at that horrible post-flu fragile I-want-mum stage, which is almost worst than the flu. It will be a perfect time for you to show up. If you can't make it this weekend, can you go a different weekend? To be sick and fragile and especially missing your family and then on top of that know that you would have been with them if you weren't sick might be pretty awful. It might help to know that they are coming soon? I can't remember if your trip involves airplanes... If not, frequent phone calls (like morning, afternoon, and before bed) might help? I know that sounds a bit over the top, but my family does this and it definately helps. Hugs Nan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brenda in MA Posted October 26, 2009 Share Posted October 26, 2009 from a visit to our son's campus. We haven't seen him since we dropped him off in August. We all had a good time, and it was nice to see our son again. He is doing well academically, has some friends, and is happy there. He showed us all around the campus and took us to several of his classrooms. If it hadn't rained all day, we would have taken in the football game, but since we didn't want to be soaked, we went to a local mall and market instead. One of the biggest issues he's facing (and this isn't really that big) is that his roommate is a slob, and as a result, their room is quite smelly. My son isn't super neat, but he is keeping up with his laundry and washing his bedding regularly. Here's to hoping he can gently persuade roomy to do some laundry! Brenda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharon in MD Posted October 26, 2009 Share Posted October 26, 2009 One of the biggest issues he's facing (and this isn't really that big) is that his roommate is a slob, and as a result, their room is quite smelly. Brenda One word....FeBreeze. My son's roommate is not a total slob and my son is definitely not all that neat. But the roommate is a bit more odoriferous than our son. He does shower and uses hefty deodorant, he's just naturally sweaty. So, our son has febreeze and other air fresheners at the ready. When no one is around he freshens it all up....carpets, couches, bedding and the general air. Opens the door and window so that it's not perfumy and then all is well. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharon in MD Posted October 26, 2009 Share Posted October 26, 2009 DS is sick....my bet is H1N1...We will still go up, if he is up to it, but it may be a very different visit than that originally planned... So, anyway, we did go up and had a good visit. I think he has had and is recovering from H1N1, but we will never know because he was not tested. :leaving: The university is only testing the kids who present with severe symptoms, which, from a triage standpoint, I can understand. It is frustrating not to know, but also understandable. If I've got a kid with a normal temp but other flu symptoms and a kid with 103 and sick as a dog....I'm going to tell the one who feels lousy, but is able to care for himself, to do just that. 'nuff said. We drove up to Philly on Fri nite, about a 2 hour drive when the traffic is good. That rarely happens, but we were blessed with descent drives both up and back. (this is why we usually use the train). DS is very happy there. He has pretty good roomies, in a suite with 4 guys, three of which get along great. One is a turkey, but that is just the way it goes in freshman dorms. Next year he can choose his roommates. It rained all day on Saturday, off and on. But we had a nice time anyway. We visited his class areas, bought coffee beans for me at Starbucks with his use or lose dining funds, and had a really fun Philadelphia Duck tour. (a duck is a cross between a bus and a boat...it is an amphibious vehicle....loads of fun) We delivered all the extra junk he wanted and swapped out the summer clothes for winter stuff. He wanted all this weird lighting stuff and halloween gear....turns out the dorm is hosting a neighborhood safe trick-or-treat for kids that live near the university. There are some seriously underprivileged kids near by, so I hope they will come. We got to go to church with him today and my hubby and I were very pleased. For us, it was really important that he find a solid church to connect with and he has. He loves it and we have no complaints. My guess is that there were about 200-300 present. Not bad for a campus in my book. We left him after lunch so that he could go prepare for all the stuff he has due tomorrow....and it's a lot. His biggest struggles are learning to manage his time and dealing with the fact that he is not the brightest bulb in the pack anymore. The time management is most important. He is struggling with the complexity of the multiple deadlines for all the components of the courses. For example you have chem lecture, chem lab, chem recitation, and the online component of the course....all or which have separate instructors and deadlines. He is starting to get a handle on it, I think, I hope and pray. As for the position within the pack, I think it is hard for him to adjust to not being at the top of the class anymore. Yeah, we homeschooled, but we were also part of a pretty good academy and I'm a tough grader as well. He was always the kid at the top. We were always the family others looked to and either went "oooo...ahhh" or "yeah, get real" Now he is middle of the pack for the honors college and getting a good many B's (for which he is really working)....he doesn't like it. I hope he will be able to measure up to the goals that he is now setting for himself. We are trying to move into a coaching position with him. We want to help, advise, but not micromanage....it's a tough gray area. Okay...enough is enough.... It was overall great...and I love Philly..:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LynnG in Arizona Posted October 26, 2009 Share Posted October 26, 2009 Brenda and Sharon, thanks so much for the updates! Brenda, it sounds like you had a positive visit and that your son is happy at his school. :) Sorry about the roommate issue . . . I think Sharon's suggestions are excellent. Sharon, I'm glad your son is feeling better and has the sickness (flu?) behind him. Thumbs up on the Duck Tour . . . and also church!! That's great that your son is plugged into a good church already. I think what your son is going through (in terms of no longer being the biggest fish in a relatively small pond . . . now a smaller fish in a large and competitive pond) is so normal for college freshman. I remember one of my high school friend's mom telling us about what a rude awakening she had had when she attended college in the 1960's. Exact same issues. Not that it makes it any easier, of course. I worry about my daughter all the time because she is trying to get into a super competitive nursing school where the acceptance rate is 20%. :( She's a very bright girl and is working super hard, but . . . so are many hundreds of other girls on her campus. By the way, she is struggling through a demanding chemistry class right now as well. I love hearing about "our" WTM kids . . . I hope we can stay in touch over the next several years. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brenda in MA Posted October 26, 2009 Share Posted October 26, 2009 One word....FeBreeze. My son's roommate is not a total slob and my son is definitely not all that neat. But the roommate is a bit more odoriferous than our son. He does shower and uses hefty deodorant, he's just naturally sweaty. So, our son has febreeze and other air fresheners at the ready. When no one is around he freshens it all up....carpets, couches, bedding and the general air. Opens the door and window so that it's not perfumy and then all is well. ;) Sharon, Believe me, he's tried that. He had no less than 3 cans of various freshener products on hand. Part of the problem is that the room is very small, the heating system is old and just cranks out the heat (think incubator). I just saw the roomie's bedding from across the room, but it honestly doesn't look like he has washed it since he moved in. Ugh. He is from across the country, so it's unlikely his parents will visit, so no reason to clean things up. Not sure what (or if anything) my son can do about it. I might suggest that he quietly ask the RA to say something to the kid because the RA is supposed to do monthly room inspections. Glad to hear that your son is doing well. Mine is also not super happy to be "middle of the pack" now, but he's learning how to study and make best use of his resources, so I think he'll end up pretty well. He had a very tough exam in a "weed out" course last week and spent lots of time preparing for it, and he aced it! He was very excited, and I think that helped his confidence quite a bit. He may not be the super sharpest kid there, but he's a hard worker, and in the end, I think that's most important anyway. I'm just happy to see him in a tough situation and be able to work his way around and through it. Brenda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted October 26, 2009 Author Share Posted October 26, 2009 Me, too! Me, too! Thank you Brenda and Sharon and Lynn. I just spent another weekend with my freshman and the strangeness of the new person he has become is beginning to wear off. We went to see him not-race (no wind) along the Charles in Boston on Sat and took him out to eat, and that was fun and we'd figured out how to park and all, so we went back on Sunday. I think maybe the prospect of watching him race in other Boston matches made it all seem more normal or permanent or something. Or maybe I'm just getting used to the lack of hair and he was in, well I can't say normal clothes because a drysuit is far from normal-looking, more like a spacesuit, but at least it wasn't the personality-destroying uniform. He looks smashing in his uniform, and I understand why they wear them; he just doesn't look like my child. -Nan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ereks mom Posted October 26, 2009 Share Posted October 26, 2009 We had a great visit -- ate in the cafeteria -- and really didn't participate in any of the events. It was better just to spend time with ER. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gwen in VA Posted October 28, 2009 Share Posted October 28, 2009 We're off this weekend to Parents' Weekend. We are looking forward to meeting some of ds's professors! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted October 28, 2009 Author Share Posted October 28, 2009 Tell us all about it when you get back, ok? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LynnG in Arizona Posted October 28, 2009 Share Posted October 28, 2009 We're off this weekend to Parents' Weekend. We are looking forward to meeting some of ds's professors! :) This was the one aspect of Parents' Weekend I did not get to do . . . couldn't figure out how to attend class with a 3 yo in tow! Have a blast and let us know how it goes, ok? :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharon in MD Posted October 29, 2009 Share Posted October 29, 2009 We had a great visit -- ate in the cafeteria -- and really didn't participate in any of the events. It was better just to spend time with ER. :001_smile: While the "events" and "family fun carnival" are nice...it is the time spent with our dear children that make it a great event! I'm so glad you got to go, but sad for your hubby....maybe he can go another time and stock up on some special time with Erek. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ereks mom Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 While the "events" and "family fun carnival" are nice...it is the time spent with our dear children that make it a great event! I'm so glad you got to go, but sad for your hubby....maybe he can go another time and stock up on some special time with Erek. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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