How are the "freshers" settling in ?

[Catseye]

Mine has texted me once is that good or bad sign ?

Don't want to mither him.

[Eccentric]

How long ago did he start? I think I would be expecting just a short text at least once a week.

[Surferfish]

Mine has texted me once is that good or bad sign ?

I suppose it all depends on the content of said text.

Was it "Help! I hate it here and want to come home! "
or "Hi Mum, how do you make beans on toast? "

(Hoping it was more like the latter )

[SteveDH]

when I was at unity I had to walk to the phone box no matter the weather and have a proper conversation about one a week.

considering how easy it is to communicate these days I'd expect a little bit more then a short text once a week, although maybe I've been spoilt by my DD who gives almost daily messages along with photos of what she's cooked, something interesting she saw on the way to lectures etc..

[quasimodo]

Mine has texted me once is that good or bad sign ?

Don't want to mither him.

If you are missing him call him.I am sure he won't mind.

I am settling back down to some routines after a hectic 2 weeks.My friend with whom I studied my professional exams has settled his eldest daughter at Liverpool University for her second year. Her first being taken in her own country in the far east.I spent 4 days with them collecting from the airport and helping settle in the daughter who had brought very little with her.Even simple things like bedding on her first day in self catering accommodation and shopping for Kitchen utensils.I had the consolation of being able to spend time with my friend and sampling some real ales and while going round the village of Woolton in Liverpool completely by accident coming across the real grave of Eleanor Rigby in a church yard in Liverpool.We also saw a church fete hall in Woolton where John Lennon and Paul McCartney played their first gig together.Later on around the Albert Docks we did the Beatles story and saw the artificial grave on the tour.My friend being a few years older grew up with the music of the Beatles.I still recall the day John Lennon died and other children telling me in the school playground.I asked John who ? Never having heard of the Beatles.I also was able to take my friend around Anfield and the new tour which was very special.This new interactive tour is well worth going and deserves its reviews on Trip Adviser.I had been on an old tour which was nothing special.It was hard for my friend being a Man United fan as are his girls.I took him to Old Trafford later in the week on the way to mine when he spent a few days with us before I dropped him off at Heathrow.The museum of Liverpool is worth going to and makes you appreciate that Liverpool in particular is a city built by different flows of immigrants.My personal highlight was seeing the Singh twins painting for Liverpools year as the city of culture.
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesig ... exhibition" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/walk ... ndeck.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

My niece has settled in Cardiff last week and she has gone all quiet no video calls or messages now.Must be a good sign.

[ToadMum]

How long ago did he start? I think I would be expecting just a short text at least once a week.

Mother of third year undergraduate here. Nice as it is to hear from him, I would rather that he had no time to call because he was too busy working or socialising with friends, rather than phoning up all the time because he was lonely or unhappy. I might remind him occasionally about turning down dinner with mum on his first moving in day in favour of pizza with a bunch of strangers, but tbh it was a relief that he got stuck in to life there straight away.

It's the beginning of their new life and may be easier to cope with if they pretend (or otherwise ) that 'home' doesn't really exist for at least most of the time, at least to start with.

[Eccentric]

I have a friend whose son didn't contact her so she assumed he was OK and actually he really, very seriously was not. I think some contact (enough to gauge) is a good idea.

[KS10]

In contact because he answers my texts. Not sure he'd choose to communicate with me unless he wanted something .

[KB]

Many I know have the 'talk once a week requirement' so if you'd like that your DC certainly wont be the only one! We don't have a regular slot but if I haven't heard for much longer than that I tend(ed) to send a text and only phone them if still no response.


Generally I only got ad hoc communication if something was needed - usually money for sports kit or how to cook something in the student 'kitchen' to feed a dozen mates in 5 minutes time type advice

As they've got older I hear from them more often for a chat. Perhaps it's to do with them having 'proven' their independence or me getting better at not asking too many questions....


Ages old advice is to not let them come home in Freshers term but to go visit them maybe once - after at least a month. It's less unsettling.

For those who are too busy to see parents we found they could usually manage the odd hour if we took them (& a friend or two) out to eat. Obviously depends on how far away you are! On occasion we made it into a weekend break that just included seeing DC rather than expecting to see them very much.

[hermanmunster]

we never speak on the phone but "natter" all the time on messenger / google talk type apps