In their dorm room

Here is my son with his roommates in the dorm, a picture of happiness! It was such a joy to see them the other day. It seems like he has found his niche and is comfortable. He went to college not knowing anybody and now it is obvious he feels at home. Watching him and his team on the soccer field was a treat too. No he did not make any of his signature spectacular saves, nor did his team win the not-so-important intramural soccer game, but I was impressed by how dignified and poised they looked, despite the loss.

A year or so ago, I had wondered how my son would survive being away from home. For almost all of his high school life, I was inundated with phone calls and messages from him – “Can you bring my lunch?”, “I forgot my English assignment, can you bring it?” or “Bring my Saxophone before 10 AM” – There was never a dull moment. The ladies at the reception counter of his school knew he had forgotten yet another thing, the moment they saw me standing at the counter with a bag or a folder in my hand.

When he left home for college, I was worried! Would he remember where he kept his phone?  Would he take care of his ID badge and room key? Would he keep his books and papers properly? Would he spend his free days reading books on bed with a huge bag of potato chips by his side instead of doing laundry? “Oh! he will change”, is what I heard most people with “experience” say.

His first year went by rather smoothly, he lost and recovered his cell phone only a couple times, before it broke and had to be replaced twice. Though, the process of separation and reunion with his cell phone (number 3) continues. He has misplaced his ID badge only a couple times and left his Driver’s License on a random bus only once (which was found after six months!) He lost his room key too many times to be able to count, so he  stopped locking his room.  His grades are excellent, so I am guessing he has kept his books and papers properly. And he has learned to do laundry on a weekly basis ( I think) . All in all, not a bad first year away from home.

When his second year at college came along, he and his friends decide to room together. I saw great camaraderie between them, they are on the same soccer team, they play fantasy soccer and they enjoy each other’s company. What more! They care enough to remind him to take care of his things! Hopefully, he becomes less forgetful or keeps finding people who will help him remember 🙂