I cried twice yesterday....
 

Took our daughter to USC yesterday (two hours away). It's her first time being away from home for an extended period of time. All was good until my wife, son and I had to say goodbye, as we all cried saying our goodbyes to her. It was tough to leave her there, although we have prepared her for the past 18 years in the best way we could. I think she will do great (she wants to be a pharmacist), as she's smart as a whip and very determined (made straight A's all through school, all AP and Honors classes, NHS, Beta Club, captain of the swim team, etc.).

I cried again when I got home and read a two page letter she had written and left for me. She wrote that she was very happy with her mom and I, glad we were her parents, and appreciated all that we have done for her.

Anybody else have similar experiences taking their kids to university?

Sorry no pix.

Care packages from home will be much appreciated. Every week or so, a shoebox stuffed with homemade cookies or similar treats. For her first year especially. I think the first two years is pre-pharm, and none of it is easy. She will be busy studying, and making friendships that will last forever.

You are a lucky man. :)

_

No...I have not had similar but I can completely understand you feelings....I think. What she wrote tells me you are great parents....that and how you feel too. God love you. ;)

You must be a great Dad. And SC is a great school, I have several close friends and a couple of family members who have gone to grad school there.

I live 15 minutes from campus. If you want my contact info, PM me. If there is EVER any kind of emergency or need for any type of help, I will drop everything and bring whomever is needed to solve the problem. :)

But she should be fine as long as she stays on campus or travels only in groups at night, the usual common sense/big city stuff. :cool:

speeder,
Unless A930Rocket really has a rocket, I'm guessing he is talking about a different USC. (check his location ;))

OP, while I don't have any kids, my guess is that you and your wife really are great parents. Sounds like you have a great daughter, too.

Oops, I think you're right...

There is nothing wrong with a dude crying in happiness and to the opposed missed times you will have.
My Kids are too young for University.. but to have my Son go back to his mother, I cry me a river all the time.
She'll be fine- she still loves you man.

Thanks guys. It wasn't all roses with her and us, especially the 16-18 years, but we wouldn't trade them for anything. She's grown considerably, but has more to come.

Is there another USC? :)

Rocket

no not really

I'm here, just starting the Marshall MBA full-time program. We're in our own corner of campus, so probably won't be running into the undergrads too much, but feel free to PM me if you need anything.

USC - University of Southern California

USC - University of South Carolina.

;) You won't be running into her, Amir. :D

Funny, I thought the same thing when I heard USC.

Because California is the only state that matters. :D

Been a long day studying for an accounting midterm.

University of South Carolina. LOL

I think that when about 100% of the people in the U.S.A. hear "USC", (outside of South Carolina), they think that it refers to the

University of
Spoiled
Children

or...

University of
Second
Choice

(if you are a UCLA person). ;)

It's great to see a family with such a great bond. Seems like most parents just want to off the kids when they hit 18. Maybe I'm just sensitive to that since I was told it was time for me to leave at 18.

I'm crying right now just reading your story. My daughter is 8. Ten short years.

Thank you for sharing.

Come on, she didn't die. This is happy news.

There were no tears on my move-in day at school. But I am only two-and-a-half hours away via car. Plus with cell phones and email it was like I never left. I come home many weekends so in many ways I have not.

If I was across the country or something it would be different.

We had a similar experience when we dropped our daughter off at college three years ago. Since then, she has matured immensely and the relationship between us has grown stronger and deeper.

Mike

Onions make me cry.

I remember the feeling when our son went away to college and my wife and I were suddenly empty nesters. Boy, that left a big hole in me, and it took a while to get over not seeing him every day. Eventually, you get used to it. And, it's very special on those occasions when you can get back together with your kids.

Fixed it for ya....

Good for your daughter. If she ever needs anything local let me know. I'll PM my cell.

Thank you. Although she's only a couple of hours away, it can seem like a lifetime in an emergency / crises.

We just dropped our son off yesterday (freshman at Ohio State). A little emotional, more so for my wife than me. I can already see that I'm going to be a mess when our daughter (now a junior in HS) goes....She's our baby and she and I have a different bond than I have w/ my son.

It's all good though, life is series of stages and we need to enjoy all of them as much as we can.

Congrats to you and your daughter....

Saturday was very bittersweet for my wife and I, as it no doubt was for all that have gone through it. Great job raising your children.

Jack is on the left:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1345471243.jpg

A930Rocket, sounds like you have done a superb job raising an appreciative child. Now it's time for her to really be tested with all this independence. I'm sure she will do fine but you still worry. That's what good parenting is all about.

So have you heard how he is enjoying his first week as a "rat"? A memory he will carry forever.

Congratulations Rocket, sounds like you have raised a great kid and should be very proud. When I graduated high school, my graduation present was a suitcase (no lie). They did everything but move on me, leaving no forwarding address. :)

We do this in a couple weeks. Bryce (20) is heading to Bond University - Australia to study Int'l Business. Wife and I are fine right now...but our 18 yr old daughter is dreading it. They've always gotten along well and according to her they look out for each other at parties (I LIKE THAT!!!). He leaves Sept 1...so we're going to get 1 last dove hunt together before he splits. Plans to meet in Fiji for Xmas.

Good to see.

this wont suck!!

great thread guys..makes me almost want to have a kid or two....(almost)

He is still not able to communicate with us...six more days! The Matriculation ceremony was very moving. Very quiet ride home from Lexington.

Rocket, thanks for this thread. USC is a great school and Columbia is a good city to be young in:cool:

Made the trip down to Texas Tech taking our daughter 12 years ago. One of those moments and days I'll remember from now on. We all shed some tears that day. She was a daddies girl from the get go. I started keeping her on my days off 2 weeks after she was born. Working shift I had my fair share of time off so we did everything together. As an avid runner she started going to the track with me when she could barely walk while I did track intervals. When she could barely talk she would tell me "I running fast Daddy", and that became one of the ties that binds us to this day. That, the Porsches, music, vacations, running on beaches from many vacations and cruises. She was the gear-head of our two kids. A true speed freak. Her first car at 16 was a Trans Am. Not a great car for an art major in college always having to haul projects but she liked that car. Kept it ten years put 100,000 mostly trouble free miles on it and sold it for 10K 6 years ago.

Because it was only 180 miles away she could come home on weekends if she wanted to and we encouraged it. This was pre text days so we e-mailed and talked a lot on the phone those first couple of years. She got great grades in school, taught art at an inner city school and was named teacher of the year the four years she was there. Is married to a childhood sweetheart who is a doctor and will someday inherit the 930. She had a contentious relationship with my wife through high school and the first year of college but they are now best friends. She has a daughter 2 that is her carbon copy so it is fun to spoil our granddaughter rotten. Who by the way loves Porsches too.

As someone stated care packages are always appreciated. We went down for football games, concerts, anything to get us together when it was possible. Great times.

Okay Rocket u did well. She sprouted wings , worked hard and I really don't think u have too much to worry about. 2 hours away is not too far away. She has acquired good values from her parents and I am sure she will do just fine. Fortunately our daughter is at Univ. in the same city as us. Lives with her boyfriend and is in the Masters/Phd program . I asked her the other day why she left home. She said we were both too uptight!. Perhaps we are. But she did sprout wings. Conversely there are two boys within a block of us that never left home. Hugely disfunctional. Pardon my English, you did good:):):)

My daughters will be heading to their 2nd and 3rd years at SU and SCU. Just to add to the alphabet confusion. Santa Clara and Seattle.
Always a big transition when they leave.
They seem to take the whole house with them, so if they are homesick it must be for me! There is a good chance that this will be the last summer the oldest will be home.

Leaving the letter was a very nice thing to do. Many kids create enough problems before they leave that animosity helps with the separation.

Rejoice in your great good fortune.

It is the rare man who learns (early enough in his life to make a difference), that "family" is ALL there really is to life.

That and in some cases it actually works out good.

In many cases, life is hard, cold and mean. MOST men live lives of quiet desperation.

Count your lucky stars...

My step daughter is going off to college in about a month...

My wife is the sweetest most loving most giving woman on the planet (I'm baized)

I understand with the daughter is is an age thing, heck I treated my dad like crap when I was 18 (within reason).

But she treats her mom like dog poo... mono syllabic answers and everything mom says is wrong.

Yeah we get it... she divorced your dad... happens a lot... but you have never wanted for food, shelter, clothing, education... when three quarters of the world population go without.

But I'm not bitter

Rant over... sorry for the hijack.

Good job Rocket!

Rocket - that's awesome - a true testament to your dad abilities. Paul - VMI is a great school - I was a RAT at NMMI years ago - definitely a learning/growing up moment for me.

We flew across the country to drop our daughter at the Naval Academy in late june for Plebe Summer. No real tears at that time I guess because we knew we see her in six weeks. Last weekend was the end of Plebe summer and we flew back for Plebe Parent Weekend. At the end of the three day visit - that's when the water works started.

She did quite well, so I guess we just realized how permanent it was. She has two years before she has to commit, but she seems to love it.

Both daughters are in college out of CA - perhaps they're trying to tell me something :)
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1) Carolina = USCe ------ California = USCw (this should eliminate any more confusion)

2) Gamecocks got one of the greatest football coaches ever...S.O.S. aka Coach Steve Spurrier!

This is from last year when a writer lied about the old ball coach....

<iframe width="640" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/0vslVprDE-c" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

3) Ahh.....Gamecock football.....wouldn't be the same without the Sandstorm anthem:

<iframe width="853" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/vKIVkh-oguk" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

4) My dad was an employment counselor in Virgina in the 60's after he retired from the Navy and I remember at the dinner table on several occasions he had mentioned he thought a pharmacist would be a great job - and one could "own their own drugstore" one day! Food for thought!

4) Lastly.....like Paul said.....thanks for the thread......always nice to hear of a family with old school values. Your daughter is destined for greatness! ;)