My Son Has Been In University Just Three Week’s

This weekend my son, A, is coming home for the weekend from university after 3 weeks.

What has surprised me is never for one minute, did I realise how much I would miss him. Of course it was always going to be strange with him not being around, but it has genuinely shocked me.

In his first three weeks I haven’t heard from him that often which is something I expected with all the freshers events happening, but everyday I would think about him. Generally very silly things, but important things to me like is he eating properly, I hope he’s not getting too drunk, I hope he’s coping being away from home for the first time in his life etc. The usual things that any dad would worry about.

When I separated and consequently divorced from his mother, my son was the most loyal of my then three children. He was only four years old, but we had a bond that was so very strong. This meant not being there at bedtime or in the mornings everyday was heartbreaking for me, but my son was so very loyal.

Not ever did he not want to stay over on the weekends and on the days in the week when he would come around for tea after school. Over the years as he grew up he would stay over less, but I could always guarantee that he would come to tea after school and always came around all day on a Saturday, he never failed.

His five year old twin sisters have never known life without their big brother and there is no doubt that they have missed him so much and were really excited to know he was coming home for the weekend.

My son arrived home on the Friday afternoon and I picked him up from the railway station. It was great to see him and he actually looked ok. Haha! No weight loss or bags under his eyes.

Seriously it was great to see him although in just a few short weeks I noticed already a dramatic difference. He has grown up into an adult almost overnight. His general attitude is completely different because all of sudden he quite simply is grown up and mature and actually showing signs of being sensible.

I’m not sure when I will see him next, most likely Christmas, but it really surprised me how much I missed my son.

We went to visit his grandmother for a while and on the way we stopped off at Greggs to get lunch and I paid with my bank card via contactless. He turned around and said they are dangerous those contactless cards. I looked at him a little bemused. He replied it’s so easy to spend money. Oh right well don’t spend then haha!

He also told me he’s seen class A drugs which surprised me a little bit, because I thought he would have already seen them, but apparently not. Ok then just look, don’t ever touch simple really isn’t it. Saying that I know he is sensible enough to not get involved in such things.

My greatest fear of being a dad to teenagers and older is that they are growing up in a world where drugs are socially acceptable, and a moment of weakness or pressure from their peers, or simply just one bad decision, could lead to a life of drug taking. Because you never know, drug dealers don’t discriminate, it’s just money to them. We can educate our children, but when they go to university or leave home. You have to pray and hope that some of what you have said to them has sunk in. Then hopefully they will take the right option and not get involved, but there are no guarantees. The worry we have as parents is never far away. It’s seems to be always lurking in the shadows.

Just yesterday though after returning to university he phoned me to tell me that he had left behind his Calvin Klein boxers, behind and could I post them on, really son, Haha! not a chance buy some more was my reply.

Have any of your children gone to university recently. Are you missing them like me? I would to hear.