Non-Move-In Days!

I was in the supermarket line the other day behind groups of young boys who were obviously grocery shopping for themselves for the first time. It was then I realized that move-in must have happened at some of our local colleges. It took me another moment to realize that for the first time in 24 years--yes, you read that right--none of my children is in school!!

Allow me to ponder this statistic for a moment. Almost half of my life has been devoted to schooling my offspring. What a thought.

I never actually considered how much time kids (and by extension,parents) spend at the business of schooling. And when you consider advanced degrees, the years simply multiply. Of course there is no way of knowing whether or not this status of school-less children will continue (I know one, at least is contemplating grad school next year), but for now it is truly a situation worth contemplating.

For one thing, no tuition bills. For another, no planning events around vacations or exams. No parents weekends or sporting games to attend. No more appeals to buy magazines to support the lacrosse team or care packages to feed your student during exams. No more frantic searches for baby pictures for the yearbook or consultations about what to get the coach.

Don't get me wrong, college days are great. But even greater, at least to me, is self-sufficiency and for the time being, I am the mother of three pretty much self-sufficient kids. Here's to non-move-in days!

And to all the others out there worried about what those kids will buy in the supermarket when they do shop for themselves for the first time--you'd be surprised. There were lots of carts ahead of me filled with fairly nutritious, fresh food--O.K., there was one loaded with nothing but boxes of frozen pizza and shredded wheat--but for the most part, I saw minimal soda, no candy and pretzels instead of chips.

In other words, lighten up. And take it from me, as far away as they may seem, they still do manage to find their way home.