Embrace the little moments of your children being home this holiday week. Don't fret at the 100 pounds of laundry they lugged home because they didn't do it all semester. (Now I know why my daughter kept saying she had nothing to wear.)

My family has rules, your family has rules, and the one thing I think we can be fairly certain of, no matter what those rules are, is that our kids are not obeying them while they are away at college.

While I trust you will be absolutely fine in your college dorm room these next few days with Hurricane Sandy heading toward shore, I cannot help but worry. You may be 22 years old, but my instinct to protect you and your sister will remain undiminished throughout my life.

Friends told me how great it was when their kids had left home and how much they actually enjoyed their empty nests. They assured me that I would feel enormous pride watching them become independent adults. I'm not there yet, but I've started a list to find that silver lining.

I stared at the mess cargo while standing in my driveway before we left home, and it hit me how that tightly packed, carefully chosen, absolute catastrophe in the back of my SUV and his compact car somewhat resembled my work-in-progress.

Here are a few tips to help you adjust if you are sending your child off to college for the first time.