It has been a VERY long time since I updated this blog - mostly because life often gets in the way of doing what you love but mainly because I never really think that anyone wants to read yet another mom blog.
The latter thought has been on my mind a lot lately. My youngest daughter is leaving for college in 17 days (I cringe just thinking about it) so I have joined some social media groups hoping for tips and tricks on a successful move-in day. My oldest went locally so I didn't have to think about the best type of mattress cover or closet organizer for her. And when I went to college, I crammed everything in the back of a 1976 Chevette and unpacked myself in a room that didn't have a phone or internet or air conditioning. So, I am new at this second round of nesting.
Hoping for advice on the best options for a fan or desk lamp, I joined these groups to see if someone had the inside track on a good price for a Woozoo or knew the best place to get a dorm rug. What I got was a lot of unsolicited advice from people who have "been there, done that". These are the people who respond to a woman's comment about the shelf life of granola bars with "Just let them be. They will figure it out on their own."
I get that this is the way of social media. Someone asks a question and instead of answering it, people give their "solution" and advice. They give the wrong answer or take the conversation on a path that no one wanted to walk down. But, here is the thing - when I asked if anyone knows if there is an elevator in the dorm my daughter is moving into, that wasn't an invitation for you to judge my parenting.
Full disclosure, I am a lawnmower parent. I always have been and probably always will be. I know it. I own it. And I don't care what you think of it. So Mind Your Own Business!
You might say I am asking for comments when I put a post on social media, and you're right. But, what I'm not asking for is you telling me that I need to learn to let go of my kid and let her spread her wings and fly. Duh. I'm sending the girl to college three hours away. I'm giving her the tools she needs to start a life on her own. And if those tools happen to include enough snacks to feed her dorm floor for a week, so what? What do you care? Does it make me an inferior parent because I bought her a first aid kit or a hot pink fluffy pillow?
It is going to be hard enough for parents to put down that last box and walk out of that room knowing that they are going home to an empty teenager bedroom. Why break them down even more by telling them to "get over it" and just drop them off and leave? Sure, we did this 13 years ago when we watched our kid get on the school bus for the first time. But, back then we knew they would be home after a few hours. This is not at all the same thing. So, be quiet, and let us all worry a little more than we should about whether or not we are packing enough socks and if they need the platinum meal plan.
Mind Your Own Business and let us do what we can to feel like our kids need us for a little longer.
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