I can’t believe that I have yet to post anything about my boy going off to college. He’s been there two weeks! Well, not quite. Ten days actually, but who’s counting? Other than me, I mean.

The move in itself went remarkably smoothly, considering how enormous his university is and how many students were all moving in on the same day. There were hang-tags and driving routes and giant boxes on wheels with helpers who literally unloaded the cars and delivered the goods to student rooms. Wow. So different than my college days.

What’s not different is the feel of the dorm room. Yes, it’s cramped. Yes, it’s seen better days. And yes, I’m glad I’m not sharing that bathroom with three other people, but it’s a dorm room. It will work out just fine. His roommate seems like a decent kid, and he reports that they’re getting along well. Perfect. He just needs a place to land, sleep, shower, change, and move along. That dorm will serve its purpose just fine.

He moved in on Saturday the 13th and started classes on the following Thursday. He still hasn’t been through a whole rotation, but already he’s telling me about lab partners and research projects and trying to sort out whether he’s in the correct math class. He’s made a couple of new friends, reconnected with some old ones, and already participated in the old campus tradition of whitewashing the giant A that overlooks the campus from the side of “A Mountain” (which is really a butte, but don’t tell anyone).

I’m really happy for him, and I know he’s going to do great, but I’m also missing him. I miss telling him to pick up his socks and walk the dog. I miss riding in the car with him (he finally got his license!) and catching Pokemon with him (I’m a little addicted, more than he is). I just miss having him around.

He’s been texting me a little, which is great.  Today he asked me to take him to a store for a lab notebook. I did. Of course. We went out for dinner too, just the two of us. Listening to him talk about his classes and new adventures was so gratifying. He’s in the right place, doing what he needs to do. I need to accept and embrace that without feeling sad about him growing up. I can’t help it, though. I’m a sentimental kind of mom. I love that kid completely, and I miss him already.