CODY SOSSAMON PUBLISHER Just like thousands of parents across the United States, my wife and I spent this past Sunday moving our daughter into her dormitory for her first year of college.

Since she will be attending USC-Upstate, about a 20- minute drive from our house, it wasn’t nearly as traumatic as it would have been had she been heading to a school hours away.

Abbie and Sherry will be able to meet for lunch and spend “girl time” with each other on a regular basis.

Since Abbie has yet to learn the ins and outs of a washing machine, I expect she’ll be home about once a week to do laundry.

I guess that will be easier than dealing with the month or two worth of dirty clothes some college students bring home to momma. Boys are especially guilty of this. Am I right, all you mothers of sons?

I think maybe my wife was more excited about decorating the dorm room than our daughter was, and she was pretty darn excited.

You should have heard them talking about buying this and that and would it match and would it fit and would it look right. One good thing is that the dorm Abbie is in has individual rooms, so the four girls in the suite can decorate their rooms to their own tastes.

I remember when my eldest headed off to USC Columbia. There had to be all of this coordination with the other roommate on comforters, curtains, rugs, towels and on and on.

When I headed off to Carolina back in ’69, I packed a suitcase and a few boxes of “stuff” into the back seat of

my Ford Torino and my Ford Torino and waved goodbye to my parents as I drove out of our driveway at 708 S. Petty St.

When I arrived in Columbia, I checked in at the Roost and carried my suitcase and “stuff” to my assigned room. I unpacked in about five minutes and that was that.

Moving-in day is a lot more complicated these days. First you’ve got your essentials like clothes and bedding. With girls, these essentials entail a lot more than with guys. Lots of clothes and shoes. And numerous comforters, blankets, pillows and other “matching” accessories. And the curtains.

Then you’ve got your dorm refrigerator. Then you’ve got your television. And your computer. And the wall hangings. That’s a lot of boxes to tote from a distant parking lot to a second-floor room.

We’re talking several trips to the car. My advice to all you dads of daughters — make sure she has a boyfriend, at least for moving-in day.

You’ve got to rearrange the room a couple of times and put the bed up on a riser at just the right height. Then after all this is done, you’ve got to go to Target or Lowes or Walmart to pick up a few things that might have been left at home or forgotten altogether. Like an extension cord or two. And coaxial cable. Gotta have coaxial cable to hook the TV up to the cable outlet. Oh yeah, groceries. We must have something to put IN the new pink dorm refrigerator. We had a buggy full by the time we hit the checkout line.

Back to the dorm room we went and finished the movein. Four and one-half hours after we first arrived, we finished. It was time for the long goodbyes. Pictures and hugs and hugs and pictures.

But no tears. I kinda thought there might be, but nope. Not a one. Dry eyes everywhere.

I attribute most of that to the fact that Abbie’s school is so close.

But like her mom said as we drove back to Gaffney and were replaying the day, “I’m just happy and excited for her. It’s a new chapter in her life and she seems so happy.”

Life is all about changes, though, isn’t it? You can resist and be miserable or you can embrace the unknown and celebrate each new adventure.

And that’s what I plan to do — just as soon as my aching back recovers from moving-in day. My chiropractor said it should be feeling much better by Friday.

Cody Sossamon (cody@gaffneyledger.com) is publisher