Genii Weblog

One of the hardest days

Mon 6 Sep 2004, 10:41 AM



by Ben Langhinrichs
On Saturday, I dropped my daughter off at college.  We arrived on Friday, but couldn't move into the dorm with all her stuff until Saturday.  True to the kind of day it was, our car was broken into overnight and my daughter's beloved clarinet was stolen.  I know, it was stupid leaving it in the car, but after twelve hours of driving, we were too trashed to figure that out.

Anyway, she is safely settled in a tiny little single (since when did they start giving singles to freshmen?) with dozens of friends already.  And I have just driven the twelve hours back.  I may not be coherent for a number of days, for various reasons probably understandable to any of you parents out there.

Copyright © 2004 Genii Software Ltd.

What has been said:


208.1. Chris Linfoot
(09/06/2004 08:10 AM)

I hear you. Not looking forward to [i]that[/i] day myself though it is still a few years away.


208.2. Colman Carpenter
(06/09/2004 08:50)

I'm at the other end of the journey (my daughter's just started school) but already I can envisage that day in my future.

Probably best to think about the increased access to the bathroom rather than anything else :)


208.3. Christopher Byrne
(09/07/2004 12:28 PM)

What school did she settle on? OSU?


208.4. Ben Langhinrichs
(09/07/2004 12:48 PM)

I wouldn't have had to travel twelve hours for OSU, so OSU sounds pretty appealing right now. My daughter prefers that I not name names and such, so I'll just say it is private, more exclusive than OSU, and a good bit smaller. Unfortunately, it is also a long drive from here.


208.5. Joe Litton
(09/07/2004 06:42 PM)

Wow Ben, I feel for ya. A year ago August we flew 3000 miles to drop our son off at college. My wife and I went back to the hotel room and sobbed. We repeated the scene many times over the following weeks. It was truly a grieving process. Even now, with us all living in the same town, it's a little sad to me every single time we part, whether we've been together just for a quick lunch, or for a week-long vacation. After so many years of being so heavily-involved in his life, it is really hard to let the next phase develop.

As I'm certain you do, however, I also take comfort knowing that my child has grown to be an honest, caring, intelligent, creative, and loving individual. Bittersweet it is.


208.6. Ben Langhinrichs
(09/07/2004 07:06 PM)

I remember reading about your experience at the time, and told my wife all about it. We even talked about it recently, particularly after you decided to move to Florida.

We are in the midst of the hard phase where all the little things creep up on you (e.g., her myriad lotions and potions are not cluttering up the bathroom, and I can't blame her for leaving cupboards open - that sort of thing). We do have two other kids, which helps in a way, but it also means massive jockeying for position, with our fourteen year old suddenly realizing he is the alpha teenager. All a bit hard to take, but understandable.

Yes, I do take comfort knowing she is everything I could hope for in a child... everything that is except here.