On the Road Again

Our road trip got off to a rather slow start. We stayed up late, so we woke up later to get a good nights rest. After packing everything up we finally left Plano at 11:00AM. We made it to Waco in good time and managed to find the right house. The house looked like what you would think, when you hear your son is renting a house that is seventy years old. It reminded me of Animal House. Only a twenty year old could love it. It was barely standing. The walls were tilted, the doors were crooked, all the mattresses were on the floor, and there were five TVs and only four guys. That ratio is about right according to them. But, they were happy; mostly for the small price they were paying for rent. My wife and I had thought about making a pop-in visit sometime during the semester. After seeing that house we have decided not to try that any time soon. We had rather not know.

We got everything unloaded for the Waco portion, said our goodbyes and we were back on the road, destination College Station. We found our way to the proper dorm in a maze of buildings on the A&M Campus. It was a beehive of activity. Students and their helicopter parents were everywhere. For those who don’t know, helicopter parents are those parents who hover over their children to protect them. We want to be highly involved in our children’s lives, but we don’t want to be helicopter parents, the balance is critical.

I am proud to say I did not get upset during the move. But it took a toll on me. Later in the day I got a little cross with everyone, when the pressure of the move built up. I was a little hungry and tired. I let down my guard and let those around me know of my displeasure. I caught myself before I blew my stack. That would have made the whole day miserable. I just sat down for a while, cooled down, apologized and let it go. I did not mess up the whole day. It does seem that we take it out on the ones we love the most. I want to change that about myself.

We got our Freshman and his possessions moved in, helped arrange his furniture, and left to go eat. We finished our responsibilities for both sons at A&M, and managed to leave town about 10:00PM. We did not get back to Plano until about 1:30AM. We were tired but we felt good helping our kids move. We will do it again. It is what parents do.