That moment is finally here. Whether you longed for it or dreaded this event, the apple of your eye, your pride and joy is stepping out into the real world and moving away to college. This could be a very emotional time for the parents who are finally letting go of their kids, and a hectic time for the kids who might be nervous about living on their own for the first time and meeting new people.
Both parents and their children might be too preoccupied with emotional aspects of going away to college to think clearly and logically about what they need to transport to college and how they are going to do it. However, packing the right stuff is essential in reducing the stress of moving in a long run. Making sure that your child has all the necessities can save you the frantic phone calls from your kid, asking you to buy them one item or the other with (of course) your credit card.
Whether your child is going away to college that’s across the street or the country, you need to remember to make a list of all the items you want them to have as soon as they move in. You want to make sure that these are the things that are essential and cannot be bought with just pocket change, like a laptop or clothes. Remember, don’t be overly zealous with packing things like hairdryers and notebooks. They take up space and, ultimately, can be bought at any campus store for relatively cheap.
Packing everything into cardboard boxes, as opposed to plastic storage containers, is always a good idea. College dorms typically don’t have a lot of space to store the empty containers, but cardboard boxes are easy to dispose of after the move and cheap or even free and easy to acquire.
Here’s a final tip for parents don’t panic! The worst that can happen is your kid forgets to bring something essential, and you can ship it to them via UPS or FedEx. And if, at any time, you’re feeling overwhelmed with accepting the fact that your child is actually leaving the nest, just look at the bright side you can now finally convert your kid’s room into that home gym you’ve always wanted.