Fun Friday – Campus Life – From the journal of a college freshman

My son is a college freshman. He doesn’t really have a journal, I don’t think. If he had a journal, there are a few conversations that I’ve had with him that would be suitable for a journal entry.

About a month ago I called my son to ask him if he received a package I’d sent to him. His reply was, “No, everything on campus and in the city was closed.”

“Why?” I asked.

“Because it’s Homecoming weekend. Classes were cancelled on Friday. BET (Black Entertainment Television) will be here and comedian Ruben Studdard.”

“Wow that sounds like fun. So how are classes going?” I couldn’t resist asking.

He told me that classes were going pretty good.

On another occasion, I called my son one evening just to say hi. He answered the phone with a dragged out, “H-e-ello.”

“Are you ok,” I asked.

“Yeah, I’m taking a nap.

He did sound like he had his face buried in a pillow. “Shouldn’t you be studying or something?” Although I couldn’t be there in person using my helicopter mom tactics, I had to hover over him. I was still wondering how those grades were coming along.

“I’m getting up in a little while. It’s just so hot. It’s hot outside and the heat kicked on in the dorm.”

I didn’t have a lot of sympathy for him as I sat curled up in a blanket.

In a recent conversation with my son, I found out he was playing basketball on one the intermural teams at the school.

“I don’t think you told me you were playing on a team,” I said.

“Oh, it happened kind of quick. And do you know if my warm up is in my closet?”

My son went on to tell me that he had a game coming up that week. I wished him luck and told him to let me know how the game goes. On game day I received a text that said, “I scored 18 points and had 10 rebounds.”

Attempting to speak his language I said, “That’s what I’m talkin’ about. Congrats.”

Inside my head I was saying, “how about those grades?” As of this cold November day I’ve heard many tidbits about my son’s life on campus. There have been roommate stories, dorm food tales and even requests for money.

It doesn’t seem like my son has had any trouble adjusting to being eleven hours away from home. Campus life has been a learning experience for him.

What parenting episodes would you enter in a journal at this moment in your life?