College Move-In Day Stress Management

You hear stories about it late summer or early fall every year. Parents and children are busily preparing for that first day of school. The first day of classes can be proceeded by a big move hundreds, even thousands of miles away.  The stress this puts on the student and parents can be significant. This year I have two nieces making big moves. I’m excited for both of them but have to admit one has kept me a bit busier than the other one has. One’s move-in isn’t to some dorm somewhere — she’ll be turning my guest room into her room!

This something we’ve discussed for almost a year. And it’s something she’s worked hard to achieve.  Not only did she do awesome as an undergrad, but she’s already set herself up for greatness by getting a graduate assistantship that will cover her classes, etc.  She is ready for a unique view of the world — her next adventure.

Living in Memphis will be her first really urban location to live. She’s lived in what was a rural area that the suburbs seem to be reaching these days and went to college in a city of 100,000 people. Memphis has 650,000+ in the city and the metro area tops 1.25 million. She is excited about the change in scenery, getting to see some family who live here more routinely, and taking the next step in her chosen field (education – we need folks like her SO BADLY!!!)

She’ll likely be a bit stressed by being so far away from her immediate family. The visits home will be limited. And my guess is she’ll need to adjust to all the city noises that you get here (planes, trains and automobiles). She’s got lots of family here, Skype always available

My stresses will likely be related to being used to having the place to myself. I’m trying to manage this by proactively clearing stuff out –throwing things away, putting others in storage, donating things to Goodwill, etc.

But the bonuses for me are so numerous. I get a roommate (or housemate) out of the deal. How great to get to hang out with my niece routinely! I’ll have someone else to catch movies with or help with the cooking. I can improve my Wii skills — especially Rock Band & MarioKart.

Oh and a shared bonus…. as she moves to the big city, this is a great chance for her to learn about agriculture and I get to help! This was so exciting to me I called her months ago about it. She’s never done a picker ride along as cotton harvest begins or watched planters run. Yep, maybe I can get her to start a farm adventure of her own, that’s definitely something to be excited about! Oh, and the extra trips to Broadway Pizza! Maybe the title of this should really be about managing excitement, but I do still have some work to do tonight so she can take over that guest room.