Back to school season is here. I no longer experience the back to school rush, but those days are still fresh in my memory from both my college days and, more recently, my son’s. I remember as clear as day what my mother told me that I passed off to my son when he embarked to college:

Please drive extra carefully.  

Leave plenty of space between you and the car in front of you.  

Check your rear and side view mirrors, and keep an eye on the road in front of you.  

Don’t be on your phone, ever.  

Why don’t you put your phone in the glove box?  

Top off your gas tank before you leave.  

If you don’t know the area, don’t stop.

Do you have your…sheets, towels, shoes, clothes, desk lamp, computer, chargers, and passport?  Passport, really, Mom?

Could you not take my laundry detergent? You can buy some when you get there.

Did you put air in the tires?

Ensure you wash your friend’s puke off the car before leaving. Where the hell did you two do last night? 

Please take your education seriously. School is expensive.

Do not oversleep and miss your classes. Do you have an alarm clock? Oh you use your phone, is your volume on?

Don’t drink too much. Be responsible. Don’t do drugs.

Call me if you need help. Call me if you want to talk. Just call me, okay?