Some days it feels like the wait between January and May has been forever. In other ways, it feels like it flew by, and Christmas was just yesterday. What I do know is that the summer, and the limited time we have with our girls at this age, will fly past us faster than we’re ready for.

As parents, we feel equipped to try to help our students by using our own experiences and history… to help guide them through their issues. After all, we have experienced similar situations and come through the other side. But our students aren’t always looking for advice. Sometimes they just need an ear to listen.

This is a challenging topic. Sometimes, when students head off to college, they may not be on the best terms with their siblings, especially if they’re close in age. The teenage years are notoriously chaotic when it comes to relationships and showing family love in general. So, if you have two teenagers, with one staying at home and one off at college, you may be trying to help them build a relationship they can maintain into the future.

If your student is a freshman or sophomore in college, they may be taking their first friends-only/no parents Spring Break trip to the beach. When mom and dad have loaded up the car for them for years, will your students know what to take with them?

There are lots of things they may not think about – they’re just thinking swimsuits and beach shoes and sunglasses. At the very least, you can remind them about things like sunscreen and beach towels, as much as they don’t think they need the reminders.

So far, we’ve been lucky about being able to celebrate most of our happy family milestones when our twins are home for college. Their birthday is in December, during Christmas break. Dad’s birthday is in July, in the middle of summer. Mine (Mom) is in May, after they get out of school for summer. But this year, one of my daughters will be away, working at a summer camp, on my birthday.

I know it seems obvious, but in our family, communication is key.

Easter is early this year, which may make it hard for some students to come home, especially if they came home or traveled elsewhere for Spring Break, just two weeks earlier.

What if your student, who is usually home for Easter, isn’t this year? What will you do?

We love St. Patrick’s Day in our family. When you marry into the McMillen family and have twin girls with red hair and freckles (one even has green eyes), you tend to lean a bit Irish.

So, we have always celebrated St. Patty’s Day with flourish.

But what is St. Patrick’s Day, and what are some of the most famous traditions?

Our last blog was about homesickness, which can mean a lot of things. Your student may be missing the family unit – having meals together, going to movies, having deep conversations. Or they may be missing comfy beds, privacy, and their favorite homemade treats. One thing parents may not think about is how much their students miss their pets.

Part of the college experience is… well… experiencing college. So, we don’t want our girls coming home a ton during the schoolyear. Don’t get me wrong, we always welcome them home with open arms, and they can come back to their rooms ANY time. But we’ve always encouraged them to stay, and to get involved with weekend activities on their campus.

Inevitably, our girls have experienced being homesick.

If you’re a College Care Package Company customer from the western or northern states, you may be wondering what our Mardi Gras boxes are all about.

When you’re from southeast Texas, a close neighbor to our friends from Louisiana, where Mardi Gras is celebrated BIG, you’ve grown up with the purple, green and yellow beads, fleurs de lis, feathers and Cajun food your whole life.

For any of us with college students, how to celebrate their birthday when they’re away from home is a big, often-discussed topic. When all we really want to do is cook them their favorite meal and give them a big hug, what can we do when we’re too far away to do just that.

It’s February and the students have been back on college campuses for several weeks. Valentine’s is the perfect time to show them a little love and let them know you miss them.

2024 is a special year. It’s Leap Year!

That means we all get one extra day this year, and it only happens every four years (or thereabouts if you pay attention to scientists).

Your student has been accepted to several colleges. Now what?

In Spring of 2022, we were right where you are, times two. Our twins had anxiously awaited replies from about a dozen colleges between them, and by February, knew what their options were.

For about 14 years, our little family of four joined other family members in Beaver Creek, Colorado for a family ski trip. It was something we looked forward to every year – dedicated time with our kids and extended family.

Then, our twins went off to college.

At the College Care Package Company, our focus is sending care packages to your college students to make sure they feel the love coming from home. But we also customize and curate boxes for other specific events and situations.