The tears are falling

[bigfrank Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close bigfrank]

My wife as very upset last night. She holds her cell phone all day waiting for him to call. he called at about 9 pm and rushed her off in a Min. He said he was going to call back which he did after a half hour. I spoke to him and told him never to give mom a rush call again. He said he had a bad connection and was going to call back which he did a half hour later. I told him I want to hear from him at least 2 to 3 times a day. This morning he called and my wife was talking to him for a good 10 to 15 minutes which made her happy again.

[Jya-Ning Silver Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close Jya-Ning]

Kind of bring back memory when I first come to US and when my mother first visited me what she brought.

I guess my parents has similar experience but probably be worse than mine. Since they did not expect they can not see their family until 30+ years later, and they can not commuicate with them for at least 20+ years. (due to civil war that break the countries into two parts)

I guess it is part of family get grow, extended. In a later year, hopefully it will bound your family more tight together.

Jya-Ning

[Linda74 Member Find all posts View Profile Close Linda74]

As much as I hated to leave both of my children at college (each attended a school 6 hours away from Connecticut), I was proud that they were leaving to do something we had worked and planned for so many years to see come to fruition. Now both are working in careers they love. We are adjusting to the "empty nest" because never really returned to live at home after college....You have done a wonderful job of getting him to this point. Leaving the nest is what is best for all of you!!!

[bigfrank Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close bigfrank]

So far he has caled twice today and spent time on the phone with us each time.

[pranas Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close pranas]

Frank, reading your posts has brought back quite a few memories. When I sent my only child off to college, I had to take her to the airport with one suitcase and say good bye. She was going a week early to take part in a a week long outdoor program designed for incomng freshman. The university told her not to bring anything extra because she would not have access to her dorm room until after the trip. Everything had to be shipped to the dorm and was not to arrive before a certain date. Not the kind of send off that I ever expected to give her but she did want to take part in this outdoor bonding experience with some of her new classmates.The tears that flowed on the way home from the airport that day were major and she did call me later that day to let me know that she arrived, etc. It was hard letting go but we did remain close during and after the college years. While I was proud of her for getting into that school, I did envy my friends whose children went to school close to home.

[falmouth3 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close falmouth3]

Frank, I know you are missing your son, but 2-3 times a day?!! I called home once a week when I was at college.

[shaggy Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close shaggy]

Frank, different slant . You have no idea how much I wish it was Kelli going off to school. Every year when I sold appliances they would come in to pick out the microwaves & little refrig and I would get so teary eyed wishing it would be Kelli. Not that I am not proud of Kelli. She does much more than her IQ says she should. That's why I was so happy when the wrestling divas took her under their wing at the Legends reunion. I know you are so proud of your son, and so close, just like Kelli & me. You've had your cry so now it's bragging time!! shaggy

[wackymother Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close wackymother]

Frank. Are you kidding? Two to three times a day???? DD's been at college for five days now and we've gotten one four-line e-mail from her.

[Holly in South Jersey Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Holly in South Jersey]

Frank, did you ever hear the old saying - There's two important things to give our children, one is roots, the other is wings?

My Mom always adds to it- The roots are easy, the wing'll kill ya. Boy is she right!

My oldest DD went local, to Rutgers Camden. Middle DD Manda went to Embry Riddle in Daytona. The only reason I went along with it was that my brother lives in Polk City, Fla, 100 miles away.

Until she graduated, I cried every time she left after a visit. Now she's out of school, living in Houston, and is an engineer working on the space program. She gets home maybe twice a year, and we try to visit at least once a year. I finally stopped crying a couple years ago.

Hang in there!

Holly

[bigfrank Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close bigfrank]

Last night I took my wife to an outdoor Concert that was great. I called my son just before the show to tell him where we were. There was supposed to be a show at his School that he was waiting for all week last night. I find out last Minute that his girlfriends parents were there and that they were all going out to Aurthur's Steakhouse and Skipping the Show. My wife was in tears he would never have canceled that show for us. He could have told us to come to if he knew they were going. Things got better after he called back and asked us to come up for dinner this coming week. I guess he heard it in my wifes voice that she was upset.
Going back to the Concert, my wife starts talking to the woman in front of us. She said that she was from Brooklyn but moved out East after her kids left, That started my wife crying again so my wife said to her that our son just left to, She said Oh he just left for Iraq You had to see my wife the tissues were out seconds later. Later on after wards she laughed it off when we went by her brothers house. But This had me thinking, I can feel how the parents feel sending there child over seas to fight. Not such a great feeling

[GrayFal Silver Contributor and supermoderator Find all posts View Profile Close GrayFal]

She said that she was from Brooklyn but moved out East after her kids left, That started my wife crying again so my wife said to her that our son just left to, She said Oh he just left for Iraq You had to see my wife the tissues were out seconds later. Later on after wards she laughed it off when we went by her brothers house. But This had me thinking, I can feel how the parents feel sending there child over seas to fight. Not such a great feeling

I hope that helps to put things in perspective for you Frank - your son is not far away, you will see him often and he will call you.

It is very hard to let go of your child but you must ... to you and Jackie

[Juleen Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Juleen]

When Terri left to go to college in Iowa, I thought my heart would break! I terrified something would happened to her--going to U of Iowa, not knowing one person in the entire state! Before she left, I got AOL so we could email. At first, I wanted her to call every day, then I asked for daily emails. Finally, I had to let her fly--much to her delight, but, not so much ours! After a year or two, or three <g>, I realized I was comfortable with hearing from her (email or phone call) weekly. Now that she's married and has given us a grandson (see, there are perks about sending them out in the world <g>), we talk a couple of times a month, email, etc. While the frequency of calling has lengthened, the love is still as strong. Perhaps stronger as she is now a full-fledge adult and we meet at a different level. I still have to bite my lip when they leave after a visit or we leave after visiting them. When I get lonesome, I think of a scene from the movie, "Bounty" with Mel Gibson: a Polynesian father watching his daughter sail away with Fletcher Christian, a Bounty mutineer. He would never know if his daughter arrived safely or if she had died, if she was happy, if he had grandchildren. There were tears running down his face. I hold that close when I get teary (yes, even yet but not as often!). We are fortunately to live in an era we can pick up the phone and call, send an email asking for a reply or drive happily to the airport to pick up our far traveling child!

[bigfrank Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close bigfrank]

We came o close to going to see him today. He had said over the weekend to come up on either Monday, Wednesday or Thursday. I did what I had to do today to make time to go there but he then said he was busy. He asked if we could come up another day in which I said most likely not because I have plans all week that I can not break. So it looks like he is coming home on Friday or Saturday.

[bigfrank Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close bigfrank]

Here is a picture I took the day we first droped him off. It was taken with my camera phone and is curently my screen saver on the phone.

[pcgirl54 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close pcgirl54]

Frank you are all having a tough time. There will be times when your wife or yourself feels neglected. They need to become their own person without us and learn how to stumble and stand straight without us being there.

He is a very handsome young man. It will be better in time although I understand how painful it is now.


I can't imagine what parents and families feel like with loved ones in IRAQ or other places as loved ones are in danger not just distant.