The Best Part of My Day!

🚚 It's September 2020 and the world is still finding its way through the COVID-19 pandemic. Alex, my daughter, is now away at school and is getting used to her new normal. She moved onto campus with her roommate a little over a month ago. Both of the girls are adjusting well to living away from home. 

One of the great features of Alex going to Southeast Missouri State University (SEMO) is that a large number of her friends from high school also attend classes there. Even though she is practicing social distancing and spending a lot of time in her room, my kiddo has plenty of people that she can be social with during her free time. She's not alone on campus. I believe that helps alleviate homesickness. I've learned through a Facebook group for SEMO parents, that isolation has been a real issue for a few of the students on campus.

Alex keeps me well informed on the things that are going on around campus. Between the app that she told me to install on my phone and her granting me access to her student portal online, I don't miss much. 

Our nightly video chats are now my favorite time of the day.

I get so excited when I hear the Duo ringtone. It's extra comforting to see her face. Most times, she's sitting at her desk and doing homework or she's curled up in the cushion corner while her roomie hangs out in her own half of their dorm room.

The lesson I've learned from our new level of communication is at the end of the day, she still wants to talk to her mom! She's not as ready to let go as I thought she was.

Yes, I was a little worried about that. As she grows up, I expect her to shy away, make new friends, have new adventures, and realize that she doesn't really need me for that much anymore. 

When I left Alex at school on move-in day, I expected her to start drifting away towards more independence. One hard fact about being a parent is at some point, our kids grow up and leave us behind.

 So imagine my surprise when she started calling home every day just to talk about nothing! We actually talk more now that she's away than we did when she was here at home!

For now, I'm soaking up all of the virtual hugs and kisses that I can get.💕