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? It was a humid August day when we brought my stepdaughter
Joy to her new home, a cramped dorm room at Oglethorpe
University.? My husband John and I had just spent a grueling
four hours of hauling, unpacking, stacking and rearranging
furniture in an attempt to get her settled, and we were
exhausted.? As parents of incoming Freshmen, we were invited
to eat in the college cafeteria with our offspring.
As we waited our turn to serve ourselves, a fresh-faced
perky mother behind us noticed our slumped shoulders and
quickly sized up the situation.
? ???Let me guess.? You just moved a daughter into her dorm,
right????
? ???How did you know???? I inquired, wondering if she were a
mind reader.
? ???That??™s because we just moved our son into his dorm room,
and it took exactly ten minutes,??? explained the unruffled
father.
???Why is that???? I couldn??™t help asking, wondering what their
secret was.? I was already beginning to chide myself for not
being more organized, but the mother??™s next comment put my
consternation at ease.
???That??™s because we let him pack himself.? All he brought was
one duffle bag crammed with clothes.? When he dumped them
out, they were all jumbled and wrinkled.? I offered to help
him get settled, but all he did was open the dresser drawers
and dump them in.???
I should have known.? John and I have been raising sons
(five of them) and daughters (seven of those), and you would
think by now we would understand the differences.? And boy,
what a difference! The stuff we hauled in our Suburban was
more than I had to start up housekeeping when I married.? We
hauled in a hairdryer, hot rollers, summer clothes, make-up
by the box-full, toiletries, enough shampoo and conditioner
for the entire student body, a stereo system and a truckload
of CD??™s, school supplies, favorite stuffed animals (10 of
them), bedding, towels, a microwave oven, winter clothes,
boxes and boxes of shoes, casual clothes, snacks, laundry
supplies, a clock radio, her favorite books, journals, an
iron, a clothes hamper, a gallery of pictures of friends and
family, winter clothes, throw pillows, a desk lamp, a
bulletin board, and more shoes.
As we were getting ready to leave for the day, Joy casually
mentioned the fact that she probably would be NEEDING a TV,
VCR, and DVD player and a laptop computer would come in
handy as well.? Her Dad and I just rolled our eyes and asked
her when we would see her again.?
???This weekend, of course! I??™m not about to rough it on
weekends too!??? she proclaimed.
That??™s our girl.? Thank goodness she picked a college close
to home!
Rose Wade-Schambach
schwadeton @ yahoo.com
Rose Schambach is a college writing instructor, who married
the love of her life four years ago.? Together they are
proud parents of twelve children who never cease to amaze
them. |
