This week on Herm’s House, the moment Herm and Kristin have been talking about for months finally arrives: it’s time to move Layla into college.
They recap the drive to Texas, navigating move-in day at Texas State, unloading an entire dorm room into carts that somehow only needed to travel about eight feet, climbing stairs with way too many boxes, and realizing that college dorms apparently believe one outlet is enough for an entire human being.
Between assembling furniture, running back out for surge protectors, meeting the roommate, and watching an entirely new chapter of their daughter’s life begin, Herm and Kristin talk honestly about the strange mix of pride, excitement, jealousy, worry, and sadness that comes with dropping your child off and driving away.
The conversation then takes a very millennial turn when Layla says her “CD skipped”—despite barely knowing what a CD is. That leads to a trip down memory lane about dial-up internet, LimeWire, rewinding tapes, rolling down windows, hanging up phones, filming things on actual film, and all the phrases younger generations still use without knowing where they came from.
And now that Layla is twelve hours away, Kristin faces a brand-new parenting challenge: having Life360 and somehow resisting the urge to ask why her daughter appears to be standing in the middle of a random Texas field.
It’s a funny, nostalgic, emotional episode about growing up, letting go, trusting the kids you raised, and learning how to be a parent when your child technically doesn’t need permission anymore.
💡 In This Episode
- Taking Layla to Texas State for move-in day
- Surviving the college dorm unloading process
- Why the move-in carts made absolutely no sense
- Dad refusing help from the young college guys
- Setting up a dorm with approximately one electrical outlet
- Alexa, TVs, mini-fridges, and dorm-room technology
- Watching your daughter begin her college experience
- The college experience Herm and Kristin never got
- Learning to let your adult child figure things out
- Why “your CD skipped” makes absolutely no sense to Gen Z
- Rewinding tapes and VHS movies
- Rolling down car windows
- Hanging up actual phones
- Dial-up internet and the trauma of someone picking up the landline
- LimeWire ruining the family computer
- Why we still say “film this”
- Life360 and trying not to stalk your college kid
- Parenting from twelve hours away
- Giving kids freedom while still hoping they make good decisions
- Missing the college football game — and Herm’s Football Minute
- Announcing the upcoming Veterans Walk
- Upcoming Society of BS events
⚡ Episode Highlights
“Did your CD just skip?”
“What makes a CD skip, Layla?”
“I don’t think I’ve ever even seen one.”
“You literally called the internet.”
“I want so badly to text her and ask what she’s doing.”
“I have to let her do her thing.”
“It feels like chips of my heart are getting taken away.”
“She’s going to be fine.”
🎙️ Chapters
00:00 – Technical Difficulties… Again
01:40 – We Dropped Layla Off at College
03:00 – Surviving Texas State Move-In Day
05:30 – Dorm Rooms, Boxes & Way Too Few Outlets
08:00 – Alexa Is Still Connected to the House
10:00 – Dinner on the Riverwalk & Extremely Clear Ice
12:30 – The College Experience We Never Had
15:00 – Dad vs. The College Move-In Crew
18:00 – “Your CD Skipped”
19:30 – Things Kids Say But Don’t Understand
21:00 – Rewind, Roll Up the Window & Hang Up the Phone
22:00 – Dial-Up Internet & LimeWire Trauma
24:00 – Why Do We Still Say “Film It?”
25:00 – Life360 Changes Everything
27:00 – Parenting an Adult Child From Afar
29:00 – Trusting the Kids You Raised
31:00 – Missing Them While Letting Them Grow
34:00 – No Herm’s Football Minute This Week
35:30 – Veterans Walk Announcement
37:00 – Upcoming Society of BS Events
39:00 – Dinner Duty & Wrapping Up
🎤 Sound Bites
- “Your CD just skipped.”
- “You literally called the internet.”
- “I have to let her do her thing.”
- “It feels like chips of my heart are getting taken away.”
- “She’s going to be fine.”
- “I’m still doing the mom watch.”
- “You don’t need permission anymore.”
- “We’re on a new journey.”
🔑 Keywords
Herm’s House Podcast, Move-In Day Mom Tears Millennial Memories, college move in, Texas State University, sending daughter to college, college parents, empty nest, parenting adult children, dorm move in, family podcast, parenting podcast, marriage podcast, millennial nostalgia, CD players, dial up internet, LimeWire, landline phones, Life360, letting go as a parent, family transitions, funny family stories, veteran family, husband and wife podcast, Texas road trip, millennial parents
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