What is it Like Seeing a Child Go Off to College?

Editor’s Note: Going away to college is a time of excitement and anxiety, independence and absence. It’s a moment in life that touches the parents as acutely as it does the graduating senior—perhaps more so.

In this three-part special edition of Hopkins Patch's feature, columnist Jacob Clemen and his parents each reflect upon the joys and difficulties of senior year.

• the urgency he felt for his son to complete the requisite college paperwork—even as he sees Jacob as a hard worker more prepared for college than he was.
• her worries that Jacob’s missteps at home meant he wasn’t adequately prepared for the real world—and how she nonetheless will be able to drop him off at college confident that he’s ready for this new opportunity. 
• how much of a role his parents play in his life—even as he considers his own identity.

All three ponder their relationship to one another and the changes this next stage of life will bring.

The Clemen family is, of course, not alone in this rite of passage. St. Louis Park Patch invites you to share your memories of seeing a child or sibling off to college or venturing there yourself by posting a comment below.