For thousands of teenagers this will be the first of many weeks away from home and family, as they settle into college dorms and begin the hard struggle to transform themselves from naïve high school students into sophisticated graduates. It is a moment of high drama for them, and for their parents. Indeed, it seems that some parents have a hard time letting go. They hover around the campus, sometimes staying in local motels. Some colleges have had to create special “separation ceremonies” to mark the moment when sons and daughters are finally, irrevocably cut loose and on their own.

They’re not on their own, of course. They are surrounded by hundreds of other sons and daughters who are gearing up for the party of a lifetime. At last they have their own space, away from parental supervision. Entering your first dorm room must be truly a magic moment: free at last. That’s why the parents...
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