Autumn is often a time of new beginnings and a few days ago we moved our daughter Abigail into her new student room in her hall of residence at Gloucestershire University, Cheltenham. There she will be completing her studies in Media Production and we hope she will emerge as a great film-maker.
Saying goodbye to your young person as he or she goes to the university is often a time of many and mixed emotions for parents. If I’d used “emoticons” to demonstrate my emotions, there would have been a full range of contradictory faces!
There would have been faces which were sad, fearful, anxious, excited and hopeful among them. And upon returning home again, having said goodbye to her, feelings of being bereft, numb and even feelings of unreality.
And yet she is now making new friends, attending lots of events, discovering new things, entering a different world. It’s a time for rejoicing too.
For many it can be the best, most fun part of your life.
What can compare to those hilarious conversations and cooking disasters that take place in the student kitchens, or those late nights sitting on the bed in someone else’s room, doing crazy things? or those new discoveries as you go along to another quirky society you signed up for at the Freshers Fayre?
May it be so, as I think now of all the young people starting at their new universities and colleges right now.
scskillman.com 
Funny, I never stopped to think about how it felt for my Mum when she left me at uni on that first day. She had to drive home, alone, for 2 and a half hours, and then spend many long phone calls reassuring me that I would soon settle in, and that everything was fine, and that she would see me soon.
I know Abigail will have a fabulous time, and definitely enjoy all of her new experiences. And now you can get used to your new phase in life, Sheila. Enjoy!
Thank you Catherine!
Yes this is a very big step for all the children who are now adults and part of their development is to grown independantly and grow and bloom.The good thing is now with all our modern phones,twitter,facebook etc it is so easy to keep in touch.
That’s true Lauren… there have already been several texts!