Our son lives 5 hours away by air, gets home about twice /year. I hate walking away when he goes through the security gate.

Our daughter moved in with her fiance this summer, wedding in two months.

We raised them to be able to function on their own.

On one hand, it's good to have the house back. On the other, we miss them both.

Les

I have a few years to adjust to the idea. Being a divorced dad with split custody eases you into the whole concept though.

My daughter is 22 and is on partner track with KPMG, just finished taking her last CPA exam. She makes about 1/2 what I make her first year out of school. Living in Hollywood with two friends in a pretty nice house. My son is 19 and is trying CC, we'll see he lives at home. I have the 80 y/o mother in law living with us, which I'm not particularly happy about.

My daughter "goes away" to college on 9/18. She just finished orientation. Lucky on the one hand she's living on campus but in Seattle where her Mom and I are. I'm divorced close to 2 years so like Nostatic it's making the transition a little easier. Hopefully all will go well. She'll handle the academics fine, it's the living with 2 roomates in a room that's smaller than hers at my house I'm worried about. I still have my 16 YO boy at home, starting to get interested in cars and we bought dirt bikes and have been having fun with those.

My GF has a 9 year old and we're headed to marriage or long term committed relationship in some form so the "parenting" role will get extended in a different form.

I just realized how happy I am I have 2 boys.
It must be extra stressful having girls!

Yeah, you only have to worry about two penis', not 2 million.:p

One bit of advice....do NOT call him at college. Let him call you first. Trust me he will call in due time.

Probably easier for you than for mom.

Remember...he will call. Just wait him out. They need qa bit of time to adjust.

Every kid is different. My daughter has been easier overall in her teen years. She's a great student, no partying and thankfully her boyfriend dumped her recently so she goes off to college unshackled. That was the best news in a long time.

My son on the other hand, just got his license, bugs me all the time about getting a street motorcycle, doesn't understand why I have one and he can't, has a girlfriend who's sweet but 1 1/2 years older, thinks he's an Abercrombie model, has no fear and is always pushing the envelope. Of the two of them, he's got a better chance of making me a Grandpa before he's 21. I'd kill him and he knows that. Fear is a good thing!

Along this line, don't be "that parent" that can't leave when he's all set up at school on move-in day.

My son cried for 4 hours yesterday, I can't wait for college.

lol

We moved my daughter Rachel into her dorm today. After helping get everything into the dorm room and arranging the furniture, I left for the office. My wife stayed behind for a few more hours and had lunch with Rachel. Wifey called my on the drive home crying, "she doesn't need us anymore...".

I told her that Rachel will need us, it will just be for bigger, more important things.

Our son, Garrett, is a Junior in HS, so he's still at home. It sure will be quiet around the dinner table though next week...

When I moved each of my two kids into college I wasn't sad at all because I figured they would be back home in no time laying on the couch watching my TV.

It would have been a lot more emotional if I had known that, that was it, they were gone, pursuing their own goals.

We move my son into his college dorm at Miami (Ohio) one week from today. He has always been "Dad's Boy" and less close to my wife so she is worried about my reaction to him being 3 1/2 hours away. I'm more worried about her as I keep finding her sitting on his bed with the tears rolling down her cheeks???

He is a great kid, has accomplished much (#9 in hid HS class of 640, 70+ hours of college credit coming out of HS, etc.) and can't wait to get going. He has always loved school, summers were endured until school started again and this is still true. He is going to be a Chemistry and Econ Major with a Math minor in preparation for Med School, we are so proud of him and look forward to all he will accomplish in the next few years.

It doesn't make it easier when one of your best friends moves away, even for a short time. I know it will never be the same when he returns but we tried to raise him to grow up and be on his own and to make a contribution on his own.

We start packing tomorrow, the next week will be hard.

Ugh, you guys are going to make me cry. I'm starting to feel guilty for leaving.