The Emotional Battle of Parenting Through College Move-In

The task of letting go..

🧻 Single-Ply Resilience

As I cross into this new chapter of parenting, I’m not sure how to process it. The list of things no one tells you about parenting is… long. But this? This has completely blindsided me.

What chapter, you ask?  

Chapter 18—College.

I’m entering this new era with the emotional resilience of one square of single-ply toilet paper. Unregrettably raw, and filled with the feels of a perimenopausal mom preparing to leave a piece of her soul at university. This emotional transition isn’t listed in the college freshman parenting advice section.

🧒 All the Firsts

I’ve crossed many difficult milestones: rolling over, walking, talking, and all the firsts—daycare, kindergarten, middle school, lost tooth, first dance… You get it. And while those firsts were hard, they were happy. Parenting is all about transitioning through to the next phase, or chapter.

He’s been an amazing big brother, worked hard through high school, got his college acceptances, and then came graduation.  

Proud is an understatement.

The feet that once kicked inside us, now walking off to independence. How did we get from swaddles to dorm rooms so fast?

🕰️ Summer in Fast-Forward

But it came fast. Lightning-flash fast.  

At least we still have the summer…

My “little” partner in all things adventure—who is now bigger than me—packed this summer full. Melting at Orientation, escape room shenanigans, a Boston medical conference, and our annual beach trip. It was fun. It was adventure-y.

And now?  

College move-in is this week.  

Where did those 75 days go?

🍼Raised Right, Released Reluctantly👨‍🎓

We raised him well. Strong, kind, independent. He’s a phenomenal young man (yes, I know all parents say that—ask me about the other two). He marches to the beat of his own drummer.

Now it’s his time to stand tall and take flight.  

But I’m not ready.

💔 The Primal Ache

How could I ever be ready to let my cub leave the nest?  

This is my human—the first human I made.

That constant, nagging force to keep him safe is primal. He’s literally a piece of me, walking around the planet. And now it’s time to let him go explore who he truly is and discover who he wants to be.

It hurts.  

I’m torn.  

I’m proud and excited… but also devastated.

🕰️ Time Is the Enemy

I have an adult.  

I’m not even ready to be an adult—how is it his turn already?

Time is not our friend. It moves with a quickness we struggle to understand.

So, as I spend this last “normal” week preparing him to live with a stranger and navigate life unsupervised, I get glassy-eyed and try not to cry.

He isn’t even moved out yet, and I’m already weepy. No one prepared me for how to let go when your child heads off to college.

Next stop, college. How did we get here already?

🏠 Local Doesn’t Mean Easy

To make this all the more hilarious, he’s going to a local university.  

And I’m over here being ridiculous.  

Imagine if he’d moved states away… sigh.

📖 The New Chapter Begins

This is the end of my journey parenting “child” number one, and the beginning of parenting a young adult. Thankfully, we have a strong relationship, and I’ve already warned him: I’ll be a leaking puddle.

He’s good with it.  

Not that his nonacceptance would change the leaking part—there just seems to be something in my eye??

🤝 You’re Not Alone

I have absolutely no college move-in tips for parents. However, if you’re entering this new territory with me, know that you’re not alone.  

I see you. I know how much it sucks and how much it hurts.

But it’s time for us to let go so they can soar.

🛒 The New Normal

We’ll adjust—eventually.  

The lower grocery bill.  

The groceries we don’t need to buy because they were only for them.  

The emptiness in their room.  

I feel it too.

We can silently weep in the corner together.

🌱 Letting Go to Let Them Thrive

But it’s a happy transition.  

It’s exciting.  

It’s literally what we’ve been working toward for the last 18 years.

We’ve planted the seeds and handed them tools.

We’ll get through this.  

And they will thrive.

Good luck, my friends.

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✍️ Authors Note ✍️

This post was hard to write. I’ve always shared honest moments with you, but this one hits different. Parenting through college move-in feels like a quiet heartbreak wrapped in pride—and no one really prepares you for it.

If you’re in this season too, I see you. I feel it with you.  

I’d love to hear your story too - either in comments or a message.

Everything about this transition sucks in ways I didn’t expect. But we’ll get through it. One box, one goodbye hug, one tear-streaked Target run at a time.

Thanks for reading.  

Thanks for feeling this with me.

With love and leaking mascara,

Marisa

(Just this once. Because this one feels more personal.)