Printable Connection Cards
The Easy Thing We Did Months Before We Drove Away From Campus
Every year around move-in season, I find myself thinking about something we did for our boys before they left for college.
Actually...it wasn't something we did on move-in day at all.
It started about six or eight weeks before.
If you're anything like we were, those weeks leading up to move-in are expensive. I mean...really expensive. You're buying bedding and towels and cleaning supplies and laundry baskets and command strips and medicine and school supplies and all the things. And if you happen to be moving twins into college like we were, you're buying two of literally everything.
I remember looking at everything we still needed to buy and thinking, "I have one more thing I'd love to do for them, but I really don't want one more big expense."
So I did something simple so that it was spread out.
I added one recurring reminder to our grocery list.
Every week it simply said: Grab a gift card.
That's it.
Some weeks I'd grab a Starbucks cards.
Some weeks DoorDash.
Sometimes Chick-fil-A.
Sometimes Target.
Nothing extravagant.
I wasn't trying to create some elaborate Pinterest-worthy project. I was just trying to spread out the cost over several weeks because move-in season already felt expensive enough.
When I got home, I'd tuck each gift card into a little handwritten note.
On the outside I'd write things like...
Open when you've got a late-night study session.
Open when you and your roommates need a late-night snack.
Open when you aced a test.
Open when you're missing home.
Inside each one was a Bible verse that had meant something to me and a little note of encouragement.
My plan was that they'd open one every week during those first couple of months at school.
That was my plan.
Apparently my boys had a different one.
Both of them opened every. single. envelope. as soon as Michael and I drove away.
😂
So much for my carefully thought-out schedule.
Honestly though, it still makes me smile.
Because the point was never really the schedule.
The point was simply that they would know we were with them, even after we were gone.
The Extra Part I Haven't Told You
Those little envelopes all went inside one larger envelope.
And inside that envelope were two more letters.
One from Michael. One from me.
We tucked everything into the desk drawer in each of their dorm rooms before we left campus.
That part wasn't actually my idea.
When I was a freshman leaving Alabama for college in Tennessee, my own mom and dad left me a letter to find after they had gone home.
I still have it. Some things are just too precious to throw away.
When it was our turn to leave our boys, I knew I wanted to pass that tradition on.
And looking back, I don't think those letters were just a gift for our boys.
They were a gift for us, too.
Those letters allowed us to wrap up move-in, hug our boys, pray with them, cry a little, laugh a little, and then get in the car without feeling like we had to squeeze eighteen years of love into one final conversation.
There wasn't this pressure to make sure we'd said everything.
We already had.
It was sitting quietly in their desk drawer, waiting for them to find it when they had time.
And maybe even more importantly...
It gave our boys permission to move on to the next thing.
Freshman welcome events.
Meeting new friends.
Walking across campus.
Beginning this brand new chapter.
They didn't have to stand in the parking lot worrying whether Mom and Dad were going to be okay.
I wanted them to leave that goodbye knowing something very important.
We were okay.
We were incredibly proud of them.
We loved them more than they could possibly imagine.
And we wanted them to go fully embrace the life God was calling them into.
I think sometimes, without even realizing it, we can accidentally make our kids feel responsible for our emotions.
I didn't want that.
I wanted them to know they were free to enjoy this season.
Free to grow.
Free to become exactly who God created them to be.
And we'd be cheering them on from home.
That's Why I'm Sharing These With You
A while back I found my original notes tucked inside one of my old planners.
Reading through them took me right back to that season.
So I recreated them as a printable, not because I think you should do exactly what we did, but because I hope they'll inspire you to make them your own.
Maybe you'll use my Bible verses.
Maybe you'll choose verses that have special meaning in your family.
Maybe you'll change every single prompt.
Maybe you'll write them in your own handwriting instead of printing them.
Honestly, I hope you do.
The cards (or the gift cards) aren't really the point.
The point is creating intentional moments of connection.
The point is reminding your child that they are deeply loved, deeply known, and never alone.
If you'd like to use these as a starting point, I've included the free printable below.
And if you do make them for your own student, we'd love to hear about it!! I have a feeling these little envelopes may end up becoming one of your favorite move-in memories, too.
A quick note about these cards: These printable "Open When" cards are a gift from us to your family. You're welcome to download, print, and personalize them for your own student. Please don't sell, redistribute, or upload the files elsewhere. If you'd like to share them with another parent, we'd be honored if you'd simply send them here so they can download their own copy. 🤍