Empty “Den” Syndrome: a Mama Badger’s Blog about Saying Goodbye
September 4, 2008
By Courtney Renick-Mayer x’08
MADISON, Wis. — There comes a time in every Mama Badger’s life when Baby Badger must leave the den. After 18 years of bruised knees, scraped elbows, broken curfews and packed brown-bag lunches, it’s time to let go and say goodbye.
But for some parents, it isn’t that easy. It can be a scary, nerve-racking and difficult journey watching a child make the transition from high school to college.
With hopes of making a smooth transition, one UW alumna and parent of a first-year UW student is sharing her personal story through a new blog, launched by the Wisconsin Alumni Association. Through a series of blog posts during the 2008-2009 school year, Mama Badger will be sharing the ups and downs of her roller-coaster ride as the parent of a new Badger.
The blog, Never Been There, Never Done That: Diary of a First-Year Badger Mom, describes the feelings of pride and panic as her child begins a new chapter in his life.
“I noticed several years ago that other mothers who had sent their kids off to college were essentially in mourning — I don't think that's too strong of a word — throughout September and even October,” she describes. “It didn't seem to matter whether the child was the first, last, or only; they were all having such a hard time with the very real losses that they were experiencing.”
Mama Badger not only uses the blog as a form of catharsis for herself, but also as a way for parents to connect and understand that their feelings are not uncommon. Although she isn’t revealing her name, Mama Badger made a conscious decision to turn this somewhat-private struggle into a very public one.
“I could have written all of this down in a journal, but I don't think it would have been nearly the same,” she says. “This added element of sharing it with other parents who are experiencing and feeling the same things makes a lot of difference somehow.”
Never Been There is the first of a series of one-of-a-kind blogs from WAA. Also now live at uwalumni.com is Blinking Lights, a blog about all things “Web.” Additional blogs on a wide variety of topics are expected to debut this year.
Mama Badger’s posts will continue through June 2009, when another first-year Badger parent may pick up in her place. The blog posts can be found at uwalumni.com/blogs.
“I really don't read blogs, so I don't know if mine will be standard or not, but I plan to continue telling it like it is and being fascinated by recording this year as it unfolds,” Mama Badger says. “There's something very interesting about living the story and honestly not knowing how it's going to end.”
By Courtney Renick-Mayer x’08
MADISON, Wis. — There comes a time in every Mama Badger’s life when Baby Badger must leave the den. After 18 years of bruised knees, scraped elbows, broken curfews and packed brown-bag lunches, it’s time to let go and say goodbye.
But for some parents, it isn’t that easy. It can be a scary, nerve-racking and difficult journey watching a child make the transition from high school to college.
With hopes of making a smooth transition, one UW alumna and parent of a first-year UW student is sharing her personal story through a new blog, launched by the Wisconsin Alumni Association. Through a series of blog posts during the 2008-2009 school year, Mama Badger will be sharing the ups and downs of her roller-coaster ride as the parent of a new Badger.
The blog, Never Been There, Never Done That: Diary of a First-Year Badger Mom, describes the feelings of pride and panic as her child begins a new chapter in his life.
“I noticed several years ago that other mothers who had sent their kids off to college were essentially in mourning — I don't think that's too strong of a word — throughout September and even October,” she describes. “It didn't seem to matter whether the child was the first, last, or only; they were all having such a hard time with the very real losses that they were experiencing.”
Mama Badger not only uses the blog as a form of catharsis for herself, but also as a way for parents to connect and understand that their feelings are not uncommon. Although she isn’t revealing her name, Mama Badger made a conscious decision to turn this somewhat-private struggle into a very public one.
“I could have written all of this down in a journal, but I don't think it would have been nearly the same,” she says. “This added element of sharing it with other parents who are experiencing and feeling the same things makes a lot of difference somehow.”
Never Been There is the first of a series of one-of-a-kind blogs from WAA. Also now live at uwalumni.com is Blinking Lights, a blog about all things “Web.” Additional blogs on a wide variety of topics are expected to debut this year.
Mama Badger’s posts will continue through June 2009, when another first-year Badger parent may pick up in her place. The blog posts can be found at uwalumni.com/blogs.
“I really don't read blogs, so I don't know if mine will be standard or not, but I plan to continue telling it like it is and being fascinated by recording this year as it unfolds,” Mama Badger says. “There's something very interesting about living the story and honestly not knowing how it's going to end.”
