If you have older kids in college now

[Anonymous]

I leave my phone on anyway, but I figure that being 4.5 hours away, I'm not much help if something happens. I worry, but so far all has been fine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t sleep with my phone in my room. My kids are both 2,000+ miles away. There is nothing I could do immediately in an emergency even if I answered. Kids are senior and sophomore.

Yes you could. You could talk them through a situation and help them make a plan. You could reassure them. If your kid was said they were in a dark place and thinking about ending it all, you could definitely make a difference.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thinking last night about my kid leaving as I got into bed, I wondered: Do you keep your phone on DND when your child is away at school? The idea of him not being able to reach me, freaks me out.

Both me and my DH sleep with our ringers off and I’m not concerned.

[Anonymous]

I worried about this for the first time… semester? Quarter? When each of my older kids left for college. Then I stopped for whatever reason. I knew they would be okay? I relaxed? I knew they had friends on campus?

Don’t stress too much, OP. It’s a process and you’ll get through it. I dont mean this in a snotty way. I just would have been happy to know that that anxious clench feeling would recede.

[Anonymous]

Wow, this has literally never crossed my mind.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You can set it up for certain numbers to ring through DND.

I sleep with an EarPod in with white noise (dog and DH snore) and have received calls from college kids. Good news, drunken butt dials.

+1. DND on but my kids still ring

[Anonymous]

My ringer is on, current college senior had a middle of the night medical emergency a few years ago and I was glad to be able to talk her through what to do.

[Anonymous]

I must get fewer calls than all of you because I don’t turn my phone on DND overnight.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can set it up for certain numbers to ring through DND.

I sleep with an EarPod in with white noise (dog and DH snore) and have received calls from college kids. Good news, drunken butt dials.

In a true emergency, your kid might not be calling from their own phone. If they were mugged and their phone was stolen, or in ca car accident and their phone fell over a cliff or into a lake, they could be calling from a friend's phone.

I would hope my kids would be smart enough to dial 911 in such a situation. WTF am I going to do for them?

Talk to them? If your 18 year old kid gets mugged, you don't want them to tell you?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can set it up for certain numbers to ring through DND.

I sleep with an EarPod in with white noise (dog and DH snore) and have received calls from college kids. Good news, drunken butt dials.

In a true emergency, your kid might not be calling from their own phone. If they were mugged and their phone was stolen, or in ca car accident and their phone fell over a cliff or into a lake, they could be calling from a friend's phone.

Apple has a feature where you can have double calls break through DND. They just have to call twice.

Not everyone has Apple.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When I was in college I needed to use a pay phone. It all worked out.

Good luck finding a pay phone now.

[Anonymous]

I don’t sleep with my cell phone by my bed though I do have my iPad so I can see texts (I don’t have sound or vibrate notifications on) but I told them if it’s an emergency to call the house phone - yes we have one of those I did get a 1 am call from my dd who hit her head in the middle of the night but otherwise has been quiet-ish for almost four years.

[Anonymous]

My kid had to go to the ER twice this year. This is a kid that never had been on an antibiotic or ever really been sick his entire life---just minor cold here and there, etc.

I will never turn the do not disturb on again--phone is by my bedside. Appendicitis. Healthy athlete that doesn't part or drink.

[Anonymous]

I leave my phone on. I always have and will

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t sleep with my phone in my room. My kids are both 2,000+ miles away. There is nothing I could do immediately in an emergency even if I answered. Kids are senior and sophomore.

Yes you could. You could talk them through a situation and help them make a plan. You could reassure them. If your kid was said they were in a dark place and thinking about ending it all, you could definitely make a difference.

Well that's quite the leap you've made.