Parents hover around campus, nervous about letting their child gain independence.

College is the time to try and escape parental control. It’s the time to grow up and become an adult. There are always those parents that hover around campus, nervous about letting their child gain independence.

During move in, the helicopter parents flooded campus in overwhelming numbers and tried to hide their tears as their son or daughter left home. With exceptional amounts of hugging and warnings to be safe, the parents must go home without their kid.

For Jodi and Shawn Wayler of Brazil, Ind., the six-hour distance is especially difficult. Their son Shawn, a freshman undecided major and football player, is their first child to leave home.

“Letting my first baby go is so hard… I was ‘kid-sick’ for a while,” Jodi said.

The Waylers are also concerned about their son’s safety and if he will be OK on his own.

Shawn Wayler Jr. missed his family a little bit the first few weeks he was on campus for football practice.

“I was homesick for a little while but then I got used to it and got into the swing of things. Of course I miss my family, but there’s a lot to do on campus, and I’m pretty busy,” Wayler Jr. said.

Matt Keller, a sophomore visual communication design major, said, “the hardest part about moving in really is lugging all my stuff to my room. It’s harder than saying goodbye to my parents.”

His parents, Bill and Peggy Keller of Columbus, Ohio, agreed that helping carry Matt’s things was a tough task, but they were also a little upset when parting with their son.

“We have many concerns like most parents would. We want the best for our son, and we want him to be safe” Bill Keller said.

Lisa and Scott Boyle of Clearfield, Pa., said they miss their son but that they’re just a phone call away for anything he needs. The Boyles helped their son, Taylor, move into his dorm before saying goodbye.

Taylor Boyle, sophomore architecture major, is now more used to living away at school and not so homesick anymore. Boyle said it was harder as a freshman living away from home for the first time.

“I used to call and text my parents a lot but after a few weeks, I was used to being away from them. Now I just send a text every once in a while,” Boyle said.

Anxious and somewhat sullen parents could be found in large quantities flocking around Eastway, the freshman dorm. The transition from living at home to college can be hard for both the student and the parents, and maybe even more so for the parents.

“We’ll miss you,” said Lisa Boyle to her son Taylor.

Contact Maura Zurick at [email protected].