08/12/2026
This is me driving from Minnesota to Missouri 40 years ago: “Here’s the car. Here’s the college. Figure it out. Good luck!” 🚗 were my parents attitude.
I hauled my belongings into the dorm, figured out the campus, and somehow survived without a parent managing every detail.
Today:
Parents are choosing the classes, coordinating the move-in, unpacking the room, solving every little problem, and today’s parents have separation anxiety.
Somewhere along the way, we went from “You’ve got this!” to “Let me handle that for you.” I am also guilty for over doing for my children.
Maybe the biggest gift we can give our kids isn’t making everything easier—it’s letting them learn how to do things for themselves.