Tell us about when you went off to college

[Anonymous]

For me, it was 1982. College was 1000 miles from home. I wanted to be dropped off at the airport, but my mom insisted on driving.

Unloaded the car, and said goodbye. My mom wanted to stay, but I wanted to start the experience.

[Anonymous]

1992 - I am from this area and went to state school 3 hours away

I was only 17 when school started (turned 18 in late Nov) so my mom had to come with me. Something she complained about terribly. So her and my brother drove me down with my stuff. My brother waited with the car and my mom watched me load of some moving bins then helped me get them up to the room.

Where we ran into my new roommates and suite mates who all had their parents gleefully helping them setup and three of them were building lofts. My mom watched me unpack and then we did a couple loads that way.

After the car was empty all the other kids and their parents were discussing where to go for lunch so I asked my mom about going and she said my brother was eager to get home to "beat traffic" despite it being a Saturday. We took one picture in front of the dorm. None of us cried.

I went back up to my dorm and a while later the other kids and families returned. My roommates and I who had all just met tried to arrange things and figure out what things we needed to buy. I then got to be the third wheel on a shopping trip to Walmart with my roommates and their parents. It sucked but the parents clearly felt bad for me.

Their parents left close to dinner time to go to hotels. They all came back the next morning for brunch. Plenty of them went to the dining hall as well to eat. And then I watched lots of teary good byes.

It dawned on me then that I was no longer so proud of being called "independent" and "mature" for my age and I realized it kinda sucked and vowed when I had kids that I would do far better for them.