My son left for to go away to college for the first time this past fall and my wife and I really miss him. We were little worried about sending him off into the real world because he's been so sheltered. We've tried our best to teach him to make good decisions, so we're hopeful for his future. His college is doing a good job at trying to help us feel comfortable. They gave us a tour of the facilities and there is a lot of help and support for freshman. A big concern is drug and alcohol use. We remember how difficult it is to avoid and say no to, when everyone else around you is partaking. We look back and are thankful that we survived some of the situations we got ourselves into. The good news is that his private college is very proactive about dealing with it. Anyone caught with drugs or alcohol is disciplined. They also require all incoming freshman to take an alcohol and drug awareness class before the semester starts. We found one online that was highly recommended by friends and sat with him while he went through the information. We all learned a lot about the risks and long-term effects of alcohol and drug use and even binge drinking. I'm glad to see the college is taking this issue so seriously. My wife and I will still worry, but we feel much better knowing that he is armed with enough information to feel confident in saying no to the peer pressure. So far, so good.
