Tomorrow we move my youngest daughter into her first college apartment. Last 
year she lived in a dorm on campus. This is the next step; an apartment that is owned by the school (so rent goes through the tuition account), but one in which the responsibility for bills and most meals remains with her.
This is a very exciting time for her. We have spent the summer assembling the things she needs, from the very big items (a new bed) to the very small (an apple slicer). This is the time when she begins making decisions about the kind of home she wants to keep (messy or neat, cozy or spare). I won't be there, except for tomorrow, to mold it into the kind of place that I want--it is all hers.
The beauty of this is that it is all under the safety net of college. She gets a chance to 'practice' being an adult without all of the responsibilities of signing a lease with an unknown landlord or purchasing her first home (not to mention taxes, insurance, etc.). In exchange for this safety net, she did not get to select her unit--she got what was assigned. She has no dishwasher or central air conditioning (and some of the units do).
These first living arrangements help shape the people who will later become our first-time-home-buyers. She will begin to take note of things that are important to her (what floor does she like to live on? Would she rather have a bigger bedroom or larger family room?). By the time they have lived in a couple of these temporary spaces, they have a better sense of what is important to them in a first home.
It is an exciting time for our daughter. For me, it is one more step she is taking away from my house. It is a natural step, and one that I have encouraged, but that doesn't make it easier.
For my friends out there who will also be moving their children into first apartments, dorm rooms and first homes. Be strong: we all took these steps--just don't forget your tissues!
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