Getting In, Part 15: Move-In Day

I have thought at a number of points, each of them a random number, that this series of posts was over. And yet, clearly this is a longer process for all of us than I imagined. And so, on this first day of my first child living at college, a few things that I have learned:

1. It becomes clear how little you can live with (as opposed to how much you DO live with) when you are suddenly sharing a small room with a stranger.

2. There is nothing like carrying bags up to the second floor to make you glad you were prudent about the number of bags you brought.

3. There is nothing like carrying bags up to the second floor to make you grateful that your child's room is not on the third or fourth floor.

4. That case of water that you carried up to the second floor becomes well worth every pound after a few hours of moving furniture and unpacking bags in that small (and un-air-conditioned room).

5. The pretzels and doughnuts don't hurt either.

6. It is a good thing that teenagers have opinions, because after the first few decorating decisions, you are happy to hand over responsibility for where any item is going to go or any poster is going to be hung.

7. A dorm room across from the floor's bathroom can be a very convenient thing.

8. A dorm room floor may not be soft, but it is perfectly fine for an impromptu nap after enough trips up and down the stairs.

9. Plans are good, but leaving room for things just to unfold can be better.

10. Goodbye is hard, but as it turns out, it is survivable...