Road signs, banners, and energetic coeds shouting “You’re with us!” directed our steps and welcomed our daughter as she first set foot onto her college campus. The next few days were all about game-day traditions, activity fairs, and introductions. Student leaders and organized events helped our daughter transition into an exciting new phase of life she knew nothing about, because no matter how much she had anticipated and planned, she had never lived it. But what about us

I come from an Italian family, and married into an Italian family, which means crazy amounts of pasta and lots of talking. Talking is a sport for us – we use our hands, talk over each other, and talk until we lose track of time. My son didn’t start speaking until he was almost three, and I think he tried to make up for lost time over the next few years. He talked so much I would sometimes tease and warn he was close to using up all his words for the day – so he’d better s