6-Part Practical Intelligence Booster Session for Adults Heading to College
Including Incontrovertible Evidence that Boys are Stronger than Girls
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The Countdown Has Begun
I’m writing this while staring at my calendar. My first twin leaves for college in one week. I’m already grieving (so says my therapist). The daily conversations, hugs, snack runs, not-so-subtle bombastic side-eyes. The deep, loving relationships with my twins have been a constant for 18 years. And now, the constant is morphing (before we even finish the 2nd season of our show).
This is not the story of an overbearing parent about to find themselves without a stable source of play and meaning in life (as discussed here).
My twins are ready. There’s a part of me that’s jealous, honestly. She gets to start fresh. Dorm life. Weird new friendships (hopefully they adopt my lessons on making friends). The thrilling confusion of building a self from bits and pieces.
For them, the next chapter is a campus brochure and a class schedule. For me, it’s less clear as my world shifts to a new chapter without them and their friends making noise in the kitchen, then disappearing downstairs, then popping up dressed up for late-night clubs (no jealousy here as I love going to bed at midnight in an extra-long t-shirt). For me, there is an unclear script with unknown characters in the next chapter. While the fridge will stay organized, I’ll miss the blaze of banter.
In these final days, I find myself jamming wisdom into their heads like they’re carry-on bags and we’re five minutes late to the gate. Last week I gave them their first credit cards with unsolicited info on how not to ruin a financial future in 90 days. This week, we’re going through Uber’s sexual assault report on 12,522 serious sexual assaults between 2017 and 2022, detailing the practical lessons.
If you're a parent, you know the feeling of hearing this clock run down until shouts of “freedom!” When the door closes behind them, I’ll sit in a much quieter household and hope that something I said (or didn’t say) sticks. I have a feeling the following awkward/controversial/essential conversations did…
The Morning I Found Her at Josie’s
There’s a particular ache that comes from opening your phone and seeing your kid’s digital dot blinking somewhere unexpected. That’s what Life360 gave me one Saturday at 3:47 a.m. My daughter’s location pinged at an address I didn’t recognize. Not the friend’s house she said she’d be at. A Josie. Never met her. Never heard the name. There probably isn’t a Josie.
Tried calling. No answer. Texts went unreturned. Now, I’m an 80s parent, raised in an era of scorched knees at Action Park, payphones, and “call when you get there” meaning absolutely nothing. That doesn’t mean my instincts don’t go full wolf when the trail goes cold.
She was safe. Eventually extracted from said Josie’s house. Apologetic. Sleep-deprived. And I told her something I wish every kid heard before the move-in boxes are packed.
“This is the time to screw up. Figure this out now. Not later. I’m glad you’re safe. But listen closely.”
Every Man Is Stronger Than You When Alone and Tipsy
I said this bluntly because it’s a fact that too many adults wrap in cotton. I wish we didn’t have to say it. But here it is:
When you’re alone, a little drunk, and a guy you barely know strolls into your room at 2 a.m., you are at a profound physical disadvantage. And that is when the worst stories begin.
You might not want to hear this but boys are stronger than girls. After puberty, when testosterone turns them into walking protein shakes. Plus, before their voice cracks and the desperate call for deodorant kicks in. According to a 2025 meta-analysis, boys aged 5–10 already have 17% more