Finally. Move In Day has arrived, and it's time to stuff the car (or multiple cars in my case) and drive back to school with your parents. Your stomach is probably tingling with butterflies out of pure excitement to settle into your new room. You know you need as many bodies as you can get to accomplish the hours of hauling boxes, suitcases, and furniture up several sweltering hot staircases and unloading one to three car loads of stuff into a tiny dorm room. None of this would be possible without the help of the two people who made it possible for you to attend college.
My parents usually stick around for a few hours on move in day and in those hours, here are a few things I've heard them and other parents say:
- Where's the bathroom? Maybe it's the long car ride or the fact that they want to scope out the bathroom situation before you have to use it multiple times a day for the next 9 months, but my parents never fail to ask someone where they can find the restroom.
- This dining hall is fantastic! My parents refuse to listen to my complaints about eating the same food every day. They think the dining hall is the best thing in the world. As much as many students love to hate on it, it's really not bad, but what most parents don't understand is that it's basically like eating at the same restaurant for every meal. It's easy to get tired of, and they only have to endure it once a year, if that.
- Let's go to the bookstore. This is a must every move in day, especially as a freshman. The whole family -- including the dog (mine has a bandana)--must buy some sort of Marist attire. We always leave with no less than 3 bags filled with red and white.
- You need to clean everything. I'm pretty sure my mother cringes every time she walks into a new dorm room. She likes things clean and always insists that our house is still a "pig stye" regardless of how much it is sparkling. Witnessing a dorm room that has been left untouched for 4 months seems to cause her physical pain. I am usually then forced to thoroughly clean everything because I "can't live like that."
- Let's eat. This line is usually requested by my dad before we finish moving in. It's understandable and usually what everyone wants after all that heavy lifting and stairs.
- Where are you hiding your alcohol? Whether they physically look for it or in my case, give you a suspicious eyebrow raise while you insist that you never drink, most parents know that you are hiding alcohol somewhere in that overpacked suitcase.
- I hope you brought an iron. You and/or your parents are unpacking your clumps of clothes you shoved into a suitcase that has been bursting at the seams. They are appalled at how small of a ball you turned that shirt into, and you have probably broken some kind of most-wrinkled shirt record -- another sight my parents can't stand to see.
- Your roommate seems nice. They usually only say this when the person you either love or hate is in the room. They'll probably pull you aside before they leave and warn you to keep your valuables in a safe place, even if your roommate is your best friend. Move in day is essentially the only impression your parents receive about who you live with. What more can they say?
- I'll call as soon as I get home. Usually out of worry, I've heard many parents assure their kids that they will receive a call as soon as they complete their trek back home. I assume it's also to catch them already drunk and partying. Keep calm, and do not miss this phone call.
- Is there an elevator? No. More. Stairs. An elevator is among one of the most magical things your parents can see on Move In Day.
- How many more trips to the car? My parents actually get mad at me when I tell them we have to go back down to the car.
- That picture is crooked. Thanks for telling me that after I've already command-stripped it to the wall, Mom! It's now time for them to go.
This list illustrates only a few of the typical things parents say on Move In Day. While it is an exciting day for you, it is probably a scary one for them, even when you grow past freshman year. Whether what they say throughout the process of this day is nuisance, naive, nagging, or supportive, it's all to make sure you have everything you need and most of all, because they will miss you.
