Just when you think you've prepared your child for life...

[GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl]

they text you from their college dorm room 400 miles away...















and ask what their address is at college.   

[Jaguar]

Oh my geez, lol

[debthaven]

LOL! 

[andi9899]

OMG! Thing 1 and I were fighting all last week because she has had way too many of these moments for my liking. So then she says "what do you want me to do then?" She's less than excited when my response is "put on your big girl panties and handle your business."

[GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl]

I don't know whether to LOLPIMP or cry.

[greeniis10]

Somewhat similar: 25 yr. old daughter was over the other day.  Her cell was in her car but she needed to call someone so I handed her the cordless land line phone.  Took her 3 tries to make the call because it's habit to dial, then press send.  Doesn't work that way on the cordless.

[NancysSummerSip]

"put on your big girl panties and handle your business."

My lunch and I just had a moment after reading that phrase. -rofl-Just getting a vision of that situation made my day.

[andi9899]

Aug 31, 2015 13:08:56 GMT -5 NancysSummerSip said:

"put on your big girl panties and handle your business."

My lunch and I just had a moment after reading that phrase. -rofl-Just getting a vision of that situation made my day.

I swear. I don't understand her. She's so smart and lacks all common sense at the same time.

[Deleted]

I LOLd at that!

We moved from NJ to KS shortly after DS graduated HS. The first time he came home from college in IA, as a passenger in a friend's car, he called and asked me our address.

DH said, "Tell him he's not allowed to play in the yard till he knows his address."

[MJ2.0]

what is LOLPIMP?

[yogiii]

piss in my pants?

[GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl]

"peeing in my pants"

You're both too young to have experienced how your bladder can let you down in life's funniest moments.

Or because you sneezed.

Or coughed.

Or drew a breath.

[busymom]

The schools seem to specialize in "higher" thinking now. Except when it comes to real life.

My own DD struggles with how to use a telephone book, (think yellow pages) which I can hardly believe...

[andi9899]

Thing 1 and I have been having it out over little common sense stuff, yet I asked about her classes and she said she's convinced that her classes were created for 5th graders. I told her that's good that she'll be bringing home straight A's.

[Deleted]

I once read about a Study Abroad program sponsored by a university. They reported that one parent called them, frantic, because their kid called them from London and they were lost, and what was the school going to do about it?

I'm a mean Mom. I sent DS to Australia with a group from his school when he was only 15. I f he'd called me because he was lost (in an English-speaking country, yet), I would have told him to go straight to the airport and fly home because he was too immature to travel without his Mommy.

[lexxy703]

I am LOL at all of these.  I had a coworker who's husband called her at work to ask her what the phone number for 911 was.  She told him that it better be a head injury.

[NastyWoman]

Aug 31, 2015 12:50:49 GMT -5 GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl said:

they text you from their college dorm room 400 miles away...
and ask what their address is at college.   

Mehhh, just trying to see whether you are still there (for them).  It will blow over and then after a while you will have to leave them messages like "everything ok? Are you still alive?  Please call by xxx or I will assume that you are dead and empty your bank account so that no one can rob the money left in it"

And that approach always worked with my sons

[andi9899]

Thing 2 was telling me that she watched some movie in history class and asked if I knew that Marilyn Monroe was on the mayflower. Thing 1 and I looked at her like she had two heads and told her to not talk for the rest of the day.

[GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl]

NastyWoman: I like your way of thinking, LOL.

[tskeeter]

Aug 31, 2015 12:50:49 GMT -5 GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl said:

they text you from their college dorm room 400 miles away...















and ask what their address is at college.   

Gotta give the kid points for doing it the easy way.  Let Mom do the work for me.  Sounds like a situation where an appropriate response would be "Sweetie, you're at college.  You're a smart kid.  I bet you can figure it out.  Bye.".

[NancysSummerSip]

Aug 31, 2015 14:31:09 GMT -5 lexxy703 said:

I am LOL at all of these.  I had a coworker who's husband called her at work to ask her what the phone number for 911 was.  She told him that it better be a head injury.

<<Tea meets computer monitor>>

My brothers and their wives have raised very book-smart kids, but not kids with a lot of common-sense skills. The standard washer and dryer confuses them. They cannot sort laundry, add detergent and push START if their lives depended on it. They've never seen an iron (unless it was designed for hair). None of them can deal with a paper map (the whole letter/number coordinate thing confuses them). And what the heck do you put into a coin-operated telephone, they wanted to know.

[Wisconsin Beth]

Aug 31, 2015 14:03:24 GMT -5 GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl said:

"peeing in my pants"

You're both too young to have experienced how your bladder can let you down in life's funniest moments.

Or because you sneezed.

Or coughed.

Or drew a breath.

Or were jumping on a trampoline. 

[trippypea]

Just 15 minutes ago, the new sneakers I ordered arrived for my daughter. She's 13. I told her to try them on and make sure they fit, and while I'm cleaning the counter, I notice she still doesn't have them on. I say, "What are you waiting for?" and she looks at them in confusion and says, "I don't know how to lace them (they came unlaced)". I said, "You wear shoes with laces in them every day, don't you ever look down? Figure it out!"

And this is the kid in all advanced classes and a high IQ. Great with the books, not so much with common sense!

[GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl]

Aug 31, 2015 14:49:46 GMT -5 trippypea said:

Just 15 minutes ago, the new sneakers I ordered arrived for my daughter. She's 13. I told her to try them on and make sure they fit, and while I'm cleaning the counter, I notice she still doesn't have them on. I say, "What are you waiting for?" and she looks at them in confusion and says, "I don't know how to lace them (they came unlaced)". I said, "You wear shoes with laces in them every day, don't you ever look down? Figure it out!"

And this is the kid in all advanced classes and a high IQ. Great with the books, not so much with common sense!

People in my real life will confirm this:  I have always said that the downfall of society started with velcro sneakers.  We raised a generation of kids who do not know how to tie shoes.  The domino effect will be staggering.

[busymom]

Aug 31, 2015 14:49:46 GMT -5 trippypea said:

Just 15 minutes ago, the new sneakers I ordered arrived for my daughter. She's 13. I told her to try them on and make sure they fit, and while I'm cleaning the counter, I notice she still doesn't have them on. I say, "What are you waiting for?" and she looks at them in confusion and says, "I don't know how to lace them (they came unlaced)". I said, "You wear shoes with laces in them every day, don't you ever look down? Figure it out!"

And this is the kid in all advanced classes and a high IQ. Great with the books, not so much with common sense!

  I suppose that's what we get for putting them in shoes fastened with Velcro when they're little.   I remember going to the Stride Rite store with my Mom as a kid, & watching the man who worked there lace up the shoes before he put them on my feet.  (I guess I paid attention to what he was doing.)   

[yogiii]

I did something right!!

I told DS he needed to learn how to tie his shoes before going to kindergarten.  It took all of 5 mins on a fine end of July day.  He's a pro now and even knows how to tighten up the whole shoe. 

[bean29]

I don't know...I get a good amount of this, but sometimes we are responsible for our kids paralysis. DD will text me I need a Dr. Appt. I may or may not make the appt. I more likely will text her all the info she needs to make the appt. Dr. Name, phone, what to say, ins. info etc. Then tell them they will ask me 20 questions if I call and I will not know the answers, and they will not be able to release info to me b/c of HIppa laws.

DD just graduated from HS. This past spring she said that her friends would look at her weird b/c she knew how to do all this stuff. Really-aren't you raising your kids to be independent. (Not saying this to be snarky...some of the stuff I do with my kids is b/c of things we talk about here...so I am sure most of us handle things somewhat similarly).  Sometimes I think I am the worlds biggest enabler though. 

DS came home from camping and told me the air mattress he took camping was all moldy but he wanted to clean it up and sleep on it in his apartment at college until he got a bed set up.  I googled "How to kill mold on an air mattress and it said...Inflate the air mattress, Vacuum off the dirt/mold spores and then wipe it with a solution of 1/2 water and 1/2 vinegar.  It also suggested using a conventional air mattress cover and washing it after every use to help prevent mold from forming.

I am sure the original instructions said to do something like this, but we didn't pay attention.  What did we do before google?

Anyways, I got DS started and got distracted to something else.  When I went downstairs later I saw that he did a pretty good job of cleaning it up on his own.  They're not above being lazy and letting us do it, but if we just give them instructions  goes on and they tell themselves "I am supposed to be independent now, I guess I should do this myself".

I do think my kid could figure out his addy, but I have the lease here at work, so I would forgive the Q and text the addy to him.  I did use USPS to verify the zip code myself.  .  When he was in the dorm, I had the info on how to send what off the school website in my phone.  I have to look that up again...b/c my DD is living in a dorm this year.  I think regular mail goes to the dorm name/room # but packages and UPS/Fed ex go to a centralized location for re-delivery later.

[zibazinski]

We told both kids that along with counting to 100 and other basic skills, you had to be able to tie your shoes before you start K !!

[andi9899]

When I was in kindergarten, we had to all have learned how to tie our shoes by Christmas break because the teacher wouldn't help anyone after that.

[GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl]

I assure you all, I thought ODS was well-schooled for life. He can cook, do laundry, understands personal finance, he managed to drop a course and add a course on his own by seeking out his advisor and getting the necessary paperwork done. He fills out all the paperwork himself at doctor's visits and managed to get the 8 stitches in his thumb removed the other day all on his own 400 miles away from where they were put in. He is, as I type, meeting with the dining hall's executive chef to plan out allergen-free foods for the week.

And, he seems to be settling into college beautifully. We have only had one phone call in 2 weeks (because I asked for it). He knows he is loved deeply, that we have his back always, and that he's "got this".

I just found it hysterical that of all of life's questions I thought he might hit me up with while he is away, his address is the one that stymied him, LOL.

I guess we can never, ever prepare them enough.