When each of my children started college, I joined the school’s parent Facebook page. I always found the page to be full of useful information and mostly, a supportive community of parents trying to help their children have the best experience they could in school.   

Posts ranged from where to find the best meals, closest supermarkets, how much it would cost to replace a lost dorm key, tips for how to best layout the tiniest of dorm rooms and sometimes, really, really difficult things that happened on campus.  You get the idea.  I have to admit that I haven’t left any of the groups I joined. [Maybe that is a blog for another day.]

This time of year, I am watching parents try to help their freshman navigate the newness of being on a big campus, often without friends, and trying to figure out what to do for the next meal nonetheless the next day.  Some are anxious and worried, some are ready to come home and convinced that they made the wrong choice. And then the upper classmen parents come to the rescue to help reassure these worrying mamas and papas that their children need to give it some time to settle in.  And, most times it really does.

Wishing everyone starting college this year an exciting new adventure and the knowledge that their parents have a tremendous resource at their fingertips – better said, on their phones – to help.