Here in the Office of Parent Programs, we try to stay in touch with Deac families in a variety of different ways.  The Parents’ Page and this Daily Deac blog are two of the biggies, but we also have a Wake Forest Parents Facebook page (which I cordially invite you to join!) as well as a Twitter account (WFUParents – again, please follow us!).

Now that students are gone and are back home with their families, I posed the question on our Facebook page yesterday “How does it feel to have your Deacs home again?”   I was delighted to have so many Deac families chime in with answers.  Based on their responses, it sounds like their students are nearly universally tired/sleeping in a lot, some are recovering from being sick (there has been both mono and some other bad cold/respiratory thing making its way through campus), some came with mountains of laundry.  Those all sound like very normal end-of-semester things.  Over all, though, the emotion I sensed most clearly from those who responded to my question was absolute joy to have their kids home.   That’s a beautiful thing.

For those Daily Deac readers who are first year parents, you may have seen in November our message for first year parents on “Family 101” – or how things are different now that your kids are home for Thanksgiving break.  It bears mentioning again, because as much as it is wonderful to have your students back, sometimes there can be conflicts or misunderstandings when your independent-at-Wake-Forest student comes home and has to readjust to the rules of the house.  It may be that you and your student have to renegotiate the parent-child contract and rules for living under your roof.

As for us on campus, what are we doing while your students are gone?  Tis the season to tackle maintenance projects that aren’t easily accomplished with occupied residence halls and classroom buildings, and to grade final coursework and submit grades, get them logged into the system, prepare for sorority recruitment in January, finish year end accounting of charitable gifts for 2011 tax purposes, have our own University and department holiday parties, etc.  And while I will confess it’s nice to have some time on campus when things are calm and parking is a breeze – I miss your kids already!

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