Orientation Schedule

We just checked out the orientation schedule. They have a dinner for the new students and their parents, during which we will be on an airplane coming home.

Andrew is clearly disappointed, although trying to be gracious about it. I told him that I was sure that his roommate and his parents would welcome him being with them. He nodded, but also said that everyone would be busy saying goodbye to their own parents.

Testing to see how much it mattered to him I told him that he could come with us back to the airport, get a quick bite there and then take a cab back to the university. He said that would be pretty cool. I was just trying to get a sense of what he wanted. He could go with us to the airport and take a cab back, but given what time we would have to go through security, he would be back on campus before the big dinner anyway. Of course, it would be easier under those circumstances for him to grab something to eat and not be there with everyone else saying goodbye to their parents.

He really does wish we could stay for the dinner. I checked with the airline. There is no late-evening flight. We would have to go back in the morning. It would cost $100/each for the ticket plus hotel. There is part of me that really wants to do it.

And then there is Gary.

Right now I have hired a young woman to spend the day here. The agency isn't particularly worried about her qualifications since it is just for the day. She is a CASA volunteer, so she is pretty safe. However, I don't think they would be okay with her spending the night. I think they might insist that he go to respite, and I know he really, really wouldn't want to.

And that of course assumes that they could find a respite place that would take him on such short notice.

Maybe just one of us could stay with Andrew and come back in the morning.

He told me that I should make sure that I get all the information and sign anything that I might have to sign because when he was there this summer (there was a program for parents then that we did not attend), they told him that they had important things for the parents.

It is so difficult letting my baby go.

I wish I had known about all this back when I was buying the blasted tickets.

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Update: I was able to change Roland's ticket for not too much money, and he found a remarkably cheap hotel room, so he will stay for dinner.