And the countdown begins...

In exactly 30 days I get to move my baby and her belongings into her new freshman dorm at a university roughly 730 miles away from home.  She is my third daughter going off to college and I should be feeling like a pro at this by now.  But truth be told, I am going to miss the heck out of her and the first few weeks are going to be rough for me and my husband. I tell all of my “newbie” friends that “it will not be so bad, you’ll get used to it” or “focus on the excitement they feel and it will make you feel better”, etc.  While I sincerely believe all of that, I am not really looking forward to the first night of Downton Abbey this season with her spot on the couch and her tea cup empty.  Fellow freshman parents, lets be clear, this moment is why we have been working so hard over the past 18+ years.  It is our job to prepare them, encourage them and nurture them so they can go live their own lives.  So lets pat ourselves and each other on the back for a job well done.  Write them an awesome letter they can open their first night at school and start baking brownies for the first care package.   It will all be OK, but still, please pass the tissues…