By Maggie McNinch, Editor-In-Chief

John Mayer’s 2017 song “Moving On and Getting Over” may have been about a break-up, but there can be similar emotions of sadness and loss when you have to say goodbye to older siblings leaving home and moving into college. 

An end-of-summer activity this year for many First Flight students involved loading up the car, driving miles upon miles, spending some last minute quality time with their siblings, helping move them into their dorm or apartment and eventually giving them one last hug and saying goodbye. 

This process can feel overwhelming. Not only does the college student have to pack their whole life up and then unpack it a few days later, they also have to stress about meeting their roommates for the first time, worry that they forgot something and come to terms with the fact that after their family leaves, they will truly be on their own. 

When senior Callie Honeycutt brought her sister, Cassie, to school, Cassie experienced many of these same feelings.

“I feel like it was just a lot for her at once and of course me and my mom are crying in the background,” Callie said. 

Even though the actual move-in process began with a bit of a rocky start, Callie and her family made sure Cassie had everything she needed in her new town before they left. This included testing out a few different coffee shops so that Cassie would know where to go when she was on her own. 

While this was some students’ first time bringing their older siblings to college, others are old pros at it by now. As the youngest of three kids, senior Tucker Crook has some experience in this department. His siblings have taken the family to distant places with their choices of going to schools in Chicago and San Diego. 

“It was fun going to those cities where they are going but the saddest part was seeing my parents cry when they left,” Crook said. 

Being a pro at it, however, doesn’t make it any easier. Senior Dylan Byard took his sister to college for the second time this summer and found that if anything, it was harder to say goodbye. 

“It was sad because we kinda got closer by the end of that summer and then she had to leave,” Byard said. 

The jump from seeing an older sibling almost everyday since you’ve been born to whenever they decide to come home takes some getting used to. For junior Trent Sylvia, the house feels quieter with his brother gone. 

“There’s not much to do without him because it’s just me and my mom basically,” Sylvia said. 

The absence of an older sibling can bring about many changes in the house, sometimes including added duties for the siblings left behind to complete. This is the case for junior Kayla Lamm. 

“I’m not used to being the oldest kid in the house and I’ve had to take on a lot more responsibility, like driving my little sister around because that was always Ella’s job,” Lamm said. 

Junior Delaney Hanf echoes similar thoughts after bringing her brother to school: “The most annoying thing is that I have to do all of his chores now,” she said. 

The fact that an older sibling is no longer a part of everyday life is difficult to get used to. Many students oftentimes find themselves forgetting that they’re gone. 

“I did look around the house to try and show him a meme I found one time, but he wasn’t there so I had to text him it,” Hanf said with a laugh. 

Sylvia shares a similar experience: “I walked all the way upstairs from my room one time and I forgot he wasn’t there. You don’t even think about it though, you’re just like, ‘I’m going to go tell Tyler something.’”

While everyone’s emotions towards this experience can vary, they all uncover one simple fact: the love between siblings is a hard thing to break, even as they move on and get older.

Callie puts it best: “(The whole experience) was really bittersweet because I was excited for her and I knew she was starting this really big chapter of her life but I knew I would have to go home and she wasn’t going to be there.”

Senior Maggie McNinch can be reached at 22mcninchma07@daretolearn.org.