Moving Your Kid to and from College

My college kid has graduated and has been working in the marketplace for a few years now, but there was a time when I was Super Mover Dad.

Freshman year:
Never mind that you've been there and done this. It all doesn't matter because your kid apparently knows more about college life than you will ever know, but I digress. This blog is really about the physical act of moving junk from home to dorm and from dorm back home. Bringing the stuff (in two packed SUV's) to campus for the first time is a pain of course. Things have to be hauled up elevators to an unfamiliar (and super small) dorm room. These new and somewhat cheesy things that you have shared the last two hours with on the highway have to be assembled next. The entire day is shot. Not to mention the scrapes and bruises that weren't there this morning.

If bringing the stuff is a pain, then bringing the stuff back home for the summer is double the pain. First, nothing is packed. Everything is still plugged-in, food is still in the refrigerator, and dirty clothes are everywhere. "You DID know you were moving today, didn't you?" I just had to ask sarcastically. So you help unplug all the electrics, defrost the fridge, and put the clothes in Hefty bags. Takes you hours to pack. Takes you hours to get the stuff into the SUV's because this time, the stuff doesn't seem to fit quite as well. Hmmmmm. What's up with that? The drive home was interesting to say the least. Rear view mirrors were useless (WAY too much clutter this time) and visions of the opening credits to the Beverly Hillbillies danced through my head.

Sunrise to sunset worth of back breaking labor. Another day shot. Another move coming at the end of summer.

Sophomore year:
Oh HECK no! Didn't we just haul this stuff back home a few months ago? It's time to hit the highway with a bunch of college student stuff again?!? A bunch of "Girly college student stuff". Lady bug this and that, Hello Kitty all the rest and isn't that a Hello Kitty television set? That thing is heavy...and it's pink. It's not even the third week of August yet. My incidental bruises from the last move are still fresh. Well, I hope the tires don't go flat from all the extra weight.

May arrives. Oh heck no! No way. Nada. Didn't we just do something like this in August? Hauling clothes, pink televisions, and cheesy dorm furniture up and down the highway is for the birds. Never again. That is my vow. Never again, at least until SOMEONE graduates. We can put the stuff into the truck, but the truck goes no further than a storage facility near campus. Yeah, that's a plan. Doesn't eliminate moving completely, but this storage facility near campus thing may have potential. Hmmmmm.

Junior year:
Not much to blog about. Moving back to school is going to be a piece of cake this time. No loading up the SUV at home and strolling down the highway. All the cheesy furniture is there already. All that needs to be done is get the stuff out of storage and assemble a few items bought over the summer. Piece of cake. Once at the destination, everything is taken back to the cramped dorm room. Cheesy furniture in place--great! Assembly of the new items begins (a computer desk and chair, I think). Assembly is going well too because the instructions weren't too confusing. Assembly is going well until 2pm. Sorry about that! Gotta get back home because the baseball team (Gary Southshore Railcats) is in town and I have season tickets. Game time is 6pm and I DON'T want to miss the national anthem. Here, take this screwdriver, I said as I wiped my hands clean. The instructions are simple (well, not really). You're just going to leave like POOF, you're outta here? She asked. Don't you love me? Without breaking stride on my way to the elevator, Sure I love you. Love those season tickets too. ....Call you when I get home. Maybe I'll call from the ballpark, I'm thinking.

Late March. School's not out yet, but I've been saving my money. Here's your car--enjoy! A green Dodge Neon (okay, well I didn't have to save too much money...and how was I supposed to know Dodge Neons are notorious for engine oil problems???). May arrives. School's out, but I'M out of the moving business. My college student can cram all that stuff into her Dodge Neon and make as many trips as necessary to get it all into storage. Life is good and baseball season begins soon.

After Graduation:
Rented a big U-Haul and moved her to Springfield, IL for grad school. A grad school program where they guaranteed a job upon completion. Upon completion the following year there was no job to be found...What? What? Did we actually say JOB?!?...so I rented another big U-Haul and brought her back home. Found a job 80 miles from home later that summer, so I rented yet another big U-Haul and dropped her stuff-off for good (I think). All this was done between baseball games. Whew!

The green Dodge Neon is history, by the way. Something about leaking oil and the car was green, but her sorority colors are red and white. What type of car does she drive now? A red Ford Focus with white trim, of course.