When my parents dropped us off at college they sang … literally.
My sister and I chose to be roommates and when we got to campus, we found out our dorm room was in a basement. The walls were cinder block and there was one window high up near the ceiling where the only thing we could see were the feet of people passing by.
Suddenly we could imagine what prison must’ve felt like.
Trying to make our cell block feel homey, my mom started to help us unpack and arrange our things, while my dad pulled out his ukulele. I realize this sounds odd, but if you knew my dad, you wouldn’t think twice. When my dad played his uke, all became right with the world.
Out of all of us, he was probably the most excited about dropping his two youngest off at a Big Ten school. The man loved football and he couldn’t wait to get to the first game.
My dad began strumming the school fight song when barely five bars in, another dad poked his head into our doorway and started singing along with him. His daughter came around the corner to join in and next thing you knew, we had a room full of new students and parents belting out tunes.
That day we all met lifelong friends. My dad and Bubba (his singing partner on that first day) became the tailgate entertainment at every game, and my mom and Bubba’s wife brought the lasagna and baked goods. My dad set us up socially, but it was my mom who set us up behind the scenes.
Thanks to her, we had all the basics we’d need to feel comfortable in our new home.
I didn’t realize it then, but my mom wasn’t just stocking our room. She was teaching us how to take care of ourselves, and the products she sent us off with became the products we would reach for on our own.
So before you send your coed off with another plastic bottle of shampoo, body wash or dish soap, pack them a few better options instead:
Like Swedish Dishcloths, bar soaps and shampoos, lotions in tins and other plastic-free basics that will make their first home away from home a little healthier and a lot less wasteful.
Think of it as their first class of the semester: Environment 101.
Oh, and be sure to learn the school fight song. It’s a proven ice-breaker.
What you send them off with matters.
Germaine Caprio is a resident of Oak Park. This piece was originally posted on Facebook.