[King of New York]

Perhaps this will help a bit...

I'll be doing freshman advising tomorrow, and I'm teaching a lot of freshmen this year--it's about my 23rd or so year of college teaching. During the first few weeks here, the freshmen will be very green: uncertain, a bit confused, a bit homesick. But the transformation that they undergo during the first semester always amazes me. The same freshmen who, back in August, couldn't figure out very much on their own, by December will be confident, capable, and savvy, well on their way to full adulthood. As much as it hurts to let them go (and I'll be sending my own kids off to school soon enough), know that they will almost certainly benefit from the experience--and you'll have a new and great relationship with them as self-sufficient (eventually) adults.

And schools are doing a much better job these days of helping students adjust to life away from home.