Off to college..... tips?

Hey hockeygal...you are lucky, my son went off to the Navy, which meant very short, sporadic phone conversations that could only be initiated by him. I was a basket case for the time he was in boot camp. There is not much I can say that will make it easier, just go out for a nice dinner or something before and make sure that all avenues of conversation are open when she leaves. Make sure she has her cell phone, with your number in there.

Welcome back hockey gal – Haven’t seen you in a bit here- Well my daughter is only 10- so as a parent I have not had this experience yet- but I was extremely close to my mom and we made it fine when I went off- We became even closer- Give her room to grow and learn outside of the home- Ask her what she needs and wants to take and help her get it- Take her and let her go- she will come back- let her call you- I’m sure she will- don’t call all the time checking in- she might feel like you are doing just that checking on her- You two will be fine- and how fun for her to be going off to college!

While I am not a parent, I remember a lot of the things that my mom did for me before I went off to school. Ithink Aprilfreelances suggestion about a self defense class is a great one. My mom sent me to a self defense class before I went to college and it made bother her and I feel better. In the age of electronic communication is it so much easier to keep in touch and that makes things much easier too. My mom also took me to costco so I could buy a munh of healthy snacks to keep in my room in the event Imissed meals or just got snacky. Our family is Italian so food is a big comfort. It's a big change for both of you, but it will be ok. Good luck!

My stepson just finished college last year. He lived with my husband and me, so it felt like he was mine. The main thing is to trust your parenting. Also, let her know you are available by phone any time of the day or night if she needs to talk about something. Encourage her to join a campus organization that will make it easier for her to make friends and meet people. Also, for a girl, I would enroll her in a self-defense class, preferably a one- or two-session course before she leaves home. She will probably never use the skills but it certainly won't hurt. I don't have girls, but I would never send one off without knowing that she will at least have a chance if something did happen. This was one of the first things I did when I went to college.