Earlier this summer, we went to see Inside Out 2 as a family. Thom and I discussed writing a piece about all the new emotions from Inside Out 2 (and “originals” from Inside Out) and how those are reflected and revealed during the college search process. If you haven’t seen Inside Out, the first emotions we met were Joy, Sadness, Fear, Anger, and Disgust. In Inside Out 2, we are introduced to the additional emotions - Anxiety, Envy, Ennui, and Embarrassment.
Today, we moved our oldest son to his new college home. Lots of emotions. We drove two vehicles and I was the “lead” vehicle. As we made our way from the highway, I saw the campus and I felt a little FEAR and probably some ANXIETY creeping in. Move-in processes are much like a NASA shuttle launch with logistics and details planned to the minute - but what wasn’t scripted or forced was the pure JOY we saw from the orientation leaders students welcoming and cheering for us as we arrived. Our cars were completely unloaded in under a minute – not kidding – I thought of Luigi in the movie Cars (that we have watched with our son hundreds of times) and the pit stop scene toward the end; these leaders would have rivaled Luigi’s speed. These happy, joyful students were cheering for us as we moved our (now empty) cars to the parking garage. As we made our way to his hall, we were repeatedly welcomed and cheered. These cheers were sincere and genuine - their love for their campus community is evident and demonstrated.
College move-in processes have evolved and improved tremendously over the past thirty years. ANGER, FEAR, and ANXIETY (and probably some DISGUST) used to rule move-in days. Realizing the impact that first moment has for students - and parents - colleges and universities have transitioned to more intentional and welcoming processes. Gone are the days of lugging boxes on your own up stairs and trying to find someone to help answer questions. Our family still laughs about my younger sister’s first college move-in experience. Instead of calling them “flip-flops”, our father always referred to them as “thongs.” I am not sure if it is specific to growing up in northwest Ohio, but this term became problematic when my sister - wearing flip-flops - fell down the stairs while carrying a box. My father said, “Well, that’s why you shouldn’t have worn thongs.” But the people around her (she described them as “cute college guys”) only heard “thong.” So move-in can also include major EMBARRASSMENT.
Our son has been intentional with some of his decorations and planning those for several months. He brought some of his art pieces, nods to his love of Broadway, and even some sentimental pieces - a boat he made in 2011 with his Pop-Pop and a special bear his Papaw gave him. (I forgot to mention NOSTALGIA makes a brief cameo in Inside Out 2.)
He loves pillows and we also made sure he had a fluffy (I would call it shag) rug. As we unpacked - and with everything being in the room by 7:45 am, we were finished in two hours. We made a run to Target for a couple things we realized we needed and then lunch. Target was very busy and their “college section” - in a major city with five college campuses was crazy. I mortified our son when I asked someone wearing a red polo shirt where the trash cans were - he was actually a parent of one of our son’s floormates. Ah yes, EMBARRASSMENT made an appearance.
Following the Target run and lunch, we returned to his room. He will be working in the biology department this fall and had a meeting at 2 pm. That may have been good as it gave us a firm “end time” to leave. We hugged - I may have clung - and made our way to our car.
I am not sure how we got this far - I remember when it was suggested we consider having our son skip second grade. I was almost buying in, but Thom said, “No, we want him home for all 18 summers.” We are beyond excited and proud he is soaring, but we are also in a time of transition. We are grateful we still have our younger sons at home. Check on us in three years - I am not sure how we will handle three boys in college and an empty house. Did you ever watch Christmas with the Kranks? Remember how the couple flipped out when their daughter went to South America? That could be us.
It’s what we do. We know transition and growth are key and we are beyond thrilled and feeling JOY that our son found a community that he loves and said after orientation, “I found my people.” But as a mom, I am feeling a little SAD. But way more JOY.
Not working with us yet? Feeling stressed by the college search process? Let's chat.
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