Tips for Sending Your Child off to College

If I had only known, I would have...

1. Purchased the “extra-long” sheets for my son's dorm room bed earlier... so there was more to choose from than pink, yellow and lavender.
2. Booked my hotel stays well in advance (for move in day, parent's weekend, and moving out day) so that I didn't have to stay in another town.
3. Slept over the night before move in day so that we could get in line early and beat the rush.
4. Written my child's name in their clothing (even at this age) so that they can easily identify their things from their roommates.
5. Left all of my child's hanging clothes on the hangers and covered them with black trash bags (use a twist tie to hold the hangers together) and then just put them directly into the closet.
6. Brought a lot of extra hangers since there is much more hanging space than drawer space.
7. Read the “dormitory rule book” so that I knew that this school requires you to use surge protectors rather than extension cords.
8. Ordered my child's computer through the school (if offered) so that it didn't take up one third of the space in my car … an added plus is that it usually comes with a four year service plan which is great even if you get a laptop.
9. Brought along some basics: tool kit, paper towels, all purpose cleaner, Handi-Tak (to hold and hang things when you can't use nails), bed risers (so that you can utilize valuable under bed space), a variety of plastic storage drawers that can go under the bed for extra clothes, food or miscellaneous items, a few different over the door hooks (not all hooks fit all doors) for towels and jackets, flashlight and batteries for an emergency, and a fan (for you and them) because dorm rooms are always quite warm.
10. Brought cold bottles of water for us... it's a well know fact, that move in day is the hottest day of the summer; Or maybe it just feels that way!