Tired and Overwhelmed

I haven't read anything for pleasure since probably last Thursday. I need to read for my sanity, and it's really starting to show now. So, what have I been doing if I haven't been reading? I took off work Friday to finish getting my son ready to go to college. I spent all day Friday shopping and packing. Then we got up at 4:30 AM on Saturday to drive the four hours to arrive during our assigned check-in time. The actual moving in was painless because they had volunteers to take all of his stuff up to his room. That was great! He's in a traditional dorm with just two beds, two desks, and two dressers on the fifth floor of a high rise building. His roommate seems fine although I know it will take some getting used to for my son. He's so used to having his own space. It still took most of the day to put his stuff away and make a couple runs to the local Wal-Mart to pick up things we didn't even think about him needing. We ate dinner together Saturday night and then had orientation on Sunday. The students went in groups to their own sessions while all the parents attended sessions together. Since I've done this all before, I really didn't learn anything much from the sessions so it was pretty boring. All I did was sit there and think motherly thoughts. How can he be this old? How is he going to like it? Will he be homesick? Will he be safe? The rational part of my brain knows he'll be fine, but it's always hard letting go. He's smart, strong, and has a good head on his shoulders. He's going to have a ball. Meanwhile, I'm going to miss him terribly just like I still miss his older brother. Sure, I see him some on weekends, but it's not the same.

On the positive side, I'm kind of looking forward to some me time and of course spending some time with the hubby. We had our children when we were pretty young, and now we're going to have our time together. I'm still trying to get over lack of sleep, but hopefully in the next couple of days, I'll be back to normal. For those of you without kids, I know this probably seems pretty silly, but I assure you it's extremely difficult to watch your kids grow up and leave home. It's rewarding and I'm happy for them, but just a little sad, too. They have been wonderful kids, and I'd love to do it all over again. O.K., the pity party is officially over, and I'll be back to reading and talking about books soon!