You can't move at this time of year without offers for student starter packs and comprehensive checklists (thanks for this one, John Lewis).
It all feels quite comforting. It makes you feel like you're in control when inside you're seriously panicking about what the future holds. It's a way of fending off the terrifying notion that you've done your job: from now on you'll have to let your child make his or her own mistakes.
Of course, it goes without saying that students don't need all this stuff. (I'm not proud to admit that I packed my eldest off without a duvet, so he froze through the Newcastle nights with the cheapest 4.5 tog he could afford.)
This is what they really need to get a head start:
- a couple of recipes for quick healthy microwave meals
- something comforting from home. A recent survey found that nearly a third of students take their old teddy.
- a note or card from you - saying the stuff you'll forget to say when you wave goodbye
And OK, this is cheesy, but what they really need is to know that you'll always be there when they do make their own mistakes.
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