10 Gifts Your College Student Will Appreciate

 1.  Collapsable Microwave Popcorn Popper  This ingenious contraption fits right in the microwave and delivers delicious popcorn with no oil required for healthier snacking. The bowl is easy to clean and collapses for smart storage. $9, Amazon. 2.   Laptop Decals  An inexpensive way to motivate them and personalize their laptops. Hundreds of styles to choose from on Etsy, like this one

‘Tis the season…for homesickness

Your phone buzzes. You’re thrilled when you see it’s a text from your child—the one you dropped off at college four weeks ago. But, when you open the message, your heart sinks. I hate it here. I have no friends. I want to come home.
 The collegiate honeymoon is over. Your child is homesick. And this text seems to come

The Launch

A gentle reminder for parents who are struggling to let go…

‘Twas the night before move-in day…

‘Tis the season! You know…the one where parents of first time college students are both excited and terrified at the same time. Where we are thrilled they have the opportunity to grow their minds and attend institutions of higher learning, yet worry that they won’t know how to do their own laundry. Where we fuss about coordinating comforters and twin

Welcome to PARENT UNIVERSITY!

What to Expect: A Course Catalog for Parents After the little plus sign appeared on the stick oh-so-many years ago, the first thing I did was to go out and buy a pregnancy book. The second was to sign up for childbirth classes. I wanted to know what to expect. As our family grew, so did our quest for parenting

Parents, don’t skip (orientation) class!

Last week I attended two college orientation experiences—the first one as a mom of a rising freshman and the second sitting on a panel of “seasoned” parents and college experts, offering advice to parents of incoming first year students. Why both, you ask? Well, the truth is I am a mom of an incoming freshman at one university and I

Life Skills: How to Organize Paperwork

As the days move closer to our daughter’s college move-in day, I start to get a little worried that we haven’t taught her all the life skills she’ll need when she’s off on her own. She can cook. She knows how to sort laundry. She seems to have a pulse on basic money management. So what are we missing? One