That moment you find out you’re going to be a parent is exciting and scary. There’s no better feeling than raising kids and getting them ready for the future. Parenting consists of getting them through schooling and graduating plus everything else in life. Yes, kids get their knowledge from going to school and that helps prepare them for the future.
But, what happens after they graduate?
Well, every parent’s dream is for their kids to go to college, and for some is going away to college. As a parent whose son is away at college trust me when I say we are never prepared for what’s to come.
Let the rollercoaster begin.
Going away to college is an emotional rollercoaster as it is. Once we as parents have gone through the headaches and emotions of preparing our kids to go away–which not only is getting them ready to go–it’s moving them into their dorm. Now that is a whole adventure on its own. Just with getting to the dorm, cleaning, unloading, and setting up to make it as homey as possible so our kids don’t get too homesick. Then doing groceries and possibly shopping for items you didn’t even think you needed.
You’re never really told about the chaos that happens that weekend. The craziness of everyone shopping and frantic to get everything done before they leave their loved one to spread their wings and be independent. Are we really ready for that? Nope. I wasn’t and I can tell you many parents were not. So after you drive off and cry like crazy all the way home.
Is this even real?
No one tells you what happens next. Well, the term ends. And what happens when the term ends… do you know? Cause we didn’t. Guess what… you have to move them out of the dorm completely. Pack everything up, and clean the dorm like you have never cleaned before. If you don’t live in the city where your kids go to school, now you have to figure out what to do with all of their items. I had to get a moving truck and rent a storage unit to store all of our son’s stuff.
But here is the thing I never knew–two weeks later you have to move your kid’s right back into another dorm. WHAT?!!! Yep, you read that correctly. You move them out after the term and two weeks later move them right back in. Start all over again with a moving truck rental, cleaning the dorm, unloading, and going shopping. Let’s not forget the emotional crying again.
So are you tired yet like I am? LOL… get ready for the college life rollercoaster like I mentioned, cause guess what: the next term has ended and you have to do it all over again. Yep, pack up, move out, clean the dorm, rent a moving truck if need be, and rent a storage unit.
Now if your kids are like mine and don’t take a break from school then you get to look forward to moving them back into a dorm all over again two weeks later. I know this probably sounds like a lot of back and forth but that it is for sure. Our son has been at UCF for a year and I kid you not when I say we have been through 5 different terms and 10 moves total already. Between moving in and out I feel like I am living Groundhog Day when it comes to each term.
I never had anyone explain to me how this part of college life works. Nor had we ever thought about it. I was always under the impression they move in and that’s it. We were never told that it’s a whole adventure. Literally a whole adventure. We have moved our son more in one year than I ever have in my whole life. I wish someone would have guided me in this process. I never knew any of this so it was a huge shock. If only I had more knowledge of this. So you’re probably wondering what’s the solution, what can we do?
Finding a place to call home.
It’s not easy but in my experience so far, it’s best to have a plan. Prepare for it better. Have a plan in place for where you’re going to store items, rent a U-Haul ahead of time if need be, and book a hotel stay way in advance. Hotels near colleges always know when move-in and move-out weekends are and they increase the hotel stay prices by a lot.
By the end of his first year, my husband and I made a plan and explored other housing options. We opted for off-campus housing because, once again, we didn’t know that after year one kids are never guaranteed a dorm. It’s a lottery and you don’t want to be without a plan for where they will live if they don’t get a dorm. So do your research, and learn about off-campus housing as a plan B. I am happy with our choice so far, as we won’t have to continue moving our son and having him feel like he lives out of bins.
College life is an experience. Not just for our kiddos but for us as parents too. We continue to always be a part of our kid’s journey, just in a different way now. I will say that my son is an adult at 19 years old and he could easily move himself and I could stay home. But for us, we took the job of parenting to heart. We will always be there to parent our kids no matter what age they are. As they get older parenting changes, where now we mentor and guide more than we correct. So take this piece of advice from a parent who has learned the hard way and is still learning. Always expect the unexpected. And prepare as much as you can for the college life roller coaster experience you didn’t know you signed up for.
From one tired, proud, and emotional still-learning mom, you’re not alone.