A throwback post, excerpted from our September 2017 MITM Newsletter:
“According to the checklist, this is everything she needs for Freshman year.
But here's what's not in the back of that rental car:
The courage to leave her cozy dorm room and be uncomfortable in a place full of strangers.
The intellectual curiosity to take advantage of what her professors are waiting to teach her.
The common sense and sense of humor to deal with the bizarre situations she will find herself in.
The grit and determination to hang in there when she's feeling lost and confused and alone.
Me. Her dad. Her dog. Her friends.
Yeah, that checklist kinda missed a few things. But if we did our job right, these things are all part of the person I helped unpack in that dorm room. And she'll not only be fine, she'll be amazing.
That doesn't mean she won't need cookies in the mail sometimes, of course.
Love from home: they also missed that on the checklist.”
When I originally wrote this five years ago, my daughter was about to leave for her freshman year in college. Now, she’s starting graduate school*.
And you better believe I’ll still be baking her cookies.
* Once again, she’s opted to go someplace that is literally on the opposite side of the country from us. I’m trying not to take it personally.
Send a Good Luck Box to your freshman (or sophomore or junior or pHD candidate!), or better yet, get on the Best of Mom Plan. You’ll be so glad you did!