Hello, I Love You….

Sometimes I wish it were a little more difficult to stay connected. My husband and I dropped off our third and final child at college in another state a couple of weeks ago, and I’ve been resisting the urge to call her, text her, email her or Skype her every couple of hours. For the most part, I’m waiting for her to contact me so that I know she’s able and ready to talk. I can just visualize a classroom full of freshman pulling out their cell phones and telling the professor, “Just a minute. It’s my mom calling…”

I’m trying to let her know that I’m handling having her gone just fine (sort of). And she’s probably thinking the same thing. If I call too often, she may think I’m bugging her and if I don’t call enough, she may think I don’t care. (Well, surely not that). I know she has a cold right now and, yes, I did mail her some packets of Emergen-C, just to let her know that I was thinking about her. Oh, and I’ve already mailed a box of homemade cookies, just to make sure she gets her mail.

And, okay, I did get on Skype a little while ago, just on the off-chance that she MIGHT be logged in, too. Of course, she wasn’t, but her good friend who is spending her freshman year in London was on, so I talked to her. Then I immediately got an email from her mom saying that I had knocked her off Skype while she was talking to her daughter. So, hey, I’m not the only one trying to reach out to my child. I did feel bad that I interrupted their conversation, though.

Back in the dark ages, when phones were attached to cords, and there were no computers where you and your child could actually have a video chat, college students had to figure things out on their own. A phone call home might be limited to once a week. There was no wondering if you might be calling at the wrong time. No panic if a day or two went by without contact. Now, it’s just so confusing with so many options and ways to stay in touch. Not that I’m complaining. I like it.

So, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go make a phone call.