Topic : 10/11 College Chaos

    I'm looking forward to the show today and hope Dr. Phil addresses the Drinking issues that affect so many college students and their family's.  Every year kids get sent off and every year someones son or daughter dies due to drinking. This past year at our daughters University a kid drowned after deciding to go on a river after a night of heavy drinking. This is just one of a few that died this past year. This does not count the numerous kids who end up in the hospital emergency rooms from alcohol poisoning or in jail from a DUI.   Last week, our daugher just left her car to go into the house after work.  a few minutes later a college student who was extremely drunk fell asleep at the wheel and totaled our daughters car. She then drove off down the street and parked a few blocks away.  Thank God our daughter was not in the car she who have been killed because this young lady made a very bad decision.  This was in a very nice neighborhood that is mostly family's and is not full of college kids.  My daughter keep telling us how she was grateful it was just a car that was hit  and not someones little child.  I think this is a huge problem on all college campuses and I would love to see a show just on this issue alone. 

Oh, how well I know this subject!   When my older daughter went off to college, she was an only child!  We were very close and her Dad and I were extremely active in her life.  I was completely devastated when we left her at college.  I cried all the way home!  I felt like my husband and I were strangers to each other because, while we did things together, our lives were so wrapped up in our daughter's life as well.  That first semester was horrendous!  After a while, I starting enjoying the quiet, the time that my husband I had together....ALONE!   I started traveling with him in his job.  It was a wonderful time!   When she came home at Christmas, I was glad she was there but couldn't wait until she went back to school!  Well, I guess my husband and I enjoyed each other immensely because in March of my daughter's freshman year, I found out I was PREGNANT!!   We were in shock...complete shock.  We slowly came back to reality and realized what a blessing God had given us.  We welcomed a second daughter in November of that year.  She will be 15 in just a few weeks and I cannot tell you what a blessing she has been in our lives.   

My husband passed away in September 2003 and I am so thankful for both my girls.  I now have 4 beautiful grandsons (from daughter #1) and a wonderful life.   My younger daughter is more dependent on me, I think, because of her Dad's illness and death.  I am trying very hard to allow her to become more independent so that she can become the person that God wants her to be.   

I have a senior this year and am incredibly happy he wants to stay home and go to local college for his basic classes then move onto university for his specialized ones.  Im not ready to send him off to university.  However, had he wanted to go, I would have let him and done my absolute best to encourage him.  For me, this show comes at a good time.  Pretty soon my oldest will be out of this house and I am not very happy about it.  I will still have two others at home but doesent matter much.  After 18 years it sure is hard to let go! 

Looking forward to hearing how Robin feels about the whole thing.  From the clips, it seems she is fine about it.  I kinda would hope she does speak some about the feelings women feel when coming upon that "empty nest" though.  I want to hear how it is hard and some suggestions to make it easier, not just that Robin is perfect mom.  LOL   

My firstborn went off to join the Navy Dec. 1984. We took him to the airport and sent him off to basic training. I didn't cry or get upset. I told myself I could not do that because I would upset our 2 younger daughters -- I was raised in a family where you kept your emotions to yourself. For over a week I felt guilty about not being upset that he was gone or the fact that we would have NO cotact with him for 6 weeks. And then it happened: I was in the grocery store at the meat counter; I picked up a package of 5 pork chops, looked and it, and started bauling! When another customer asked me what was wrong, I replied, "I don't need 5 pork chops; I only need 4!"  When our oldest daughter went off to college to a school where they still have freshmen beanies, they got their beanies and marched off to start their new lives and we were sent home. This time, I cried all the way home and then was fine.  Our son retired last Dec. after 20 years in the Navy on submarines and our daughter is a elementary reading specialist who is currently a stay-at-home Mom with our 1 yr. old grandson. All is right with the world.