Dorm Room Regrets
Why I regret my son living in dorms his Freshman year of college.
After homeschooling my sons, both went to public high school and community college. My older son went to a university near home and lived with us. My younger son chose to go to a school two-and-a-half hours away from us. He was a few weeks from his sixteenth birthday when he moved out of our house and into the dorms on campus.
At the time, we were woefully unprepared to find him a roommate off-campus. Also, he was so far from the age of majority that I was afraid to set him loose without a life raft. We plunked down the painful $7k to feed and board him. I crossed my fingers that he’d have a good living experience there.
My son was nowhere near legal age enough to sign contracts. I questioned the housing agency how they planned to enforce legalities, and how they planned to help my underage son. My questions were dismissed while my son dove headfirst into the deep end.
Like other parents, I followed along with his first day of Freshman orientation after we moved him in. It was clear that multiple parties were happening at the frat houses near the college. There were also plenty of warnings about bringing alcohol and drugs into the dorm rooms. I shrugged off the information because my sons had never given me cause to worry about…
