Preparations are in full swing as mums prepare for their daughters to leave home and start university this September - the A-Level results celebrations and excitement have passed and mums across the country are deep in lists, Ikea visits, saucepans and new bed linen. You are bursting with pride and happiness, but as the date draws near you start to feel a little nervous and a little anxious about her flying the nest – it’s everything you’ve prepared her for; yet it feels such a huge emotional step.
8 years ago we drove my daughter to Brighton to begin her degree in Medicine – yes I was immensely proud of her achievements, but I had literally been dreading the big day all summer. We packed the car to bursting point before heading on our long drive to Brighton – we had bought all the basics that she would need, but the smallest gifts were the most important. A handwritten letter and a Hug From Mum pin which I tucked quietly into her bag for her to find later when we had left.
The excitement of moving her into student halls was balanced with huge emotions about saying goodbye. I will never forget that moment (and I’m welling up as I write this!) as I left her with tears pouring down my face – yes I was the embarrassing mum but she didn’t expect anything less! I think I cried pretty much all the way home, and it’s a long old drive from Brighton to Somerset!
So if this is something you can relate to this year, I see you, I know how you are feeling – and if you would like to send your daughter off to university with a small gift tucked into her bag that she can reach for when she needs it most, here are my 5 Thoughtful University Gift Ideas, to send her on her way with love, joy & comfort :
1) I Believe in You Thoughtful Message Keepsake
When your daughter starts university, she is meeting new friends, has a new home and is starting a new course; there’s no wonder that they often question themselves, wonder if they made the right decision or worry that they aren’t good enough. So a Thoughtful Keepsake printed with the words “I Believe in You” makes a perfect little uni gift as it reminds her just how wonderful she is, that she should be proud of achievements, that her mum believes in her and that she should believe in herself. She can hang her keepsake in her room or pop it in her bag to carry with her wherever she goes.
2) Hug From Mum Badge
Whether your daughter admits it or not, she will love to find a Hug From Mum Badge tucked inside her bag. The perfect little "leaving for uni" gift to remind her how much you love her, that you’re always there for her and how proud you are of her. She can pin her Hug Badge inside her jacket pocket or inside her tote bag, so it’s always to hand for the occasional wobble, comfort or reassurance. There’s nothing quite like a Hug From Mum to make things better.
3) Manifest Keyring from the Soul Wishes collection
Visualising what you would like to achieve, where you want to go and who you want to be, is enormously powerful. Manifesting is like a super-power; building confidence, inspiring, motivating, bringing alive her hopes & dreams; making the Manifest Keyring a perfect university gift for her new house keys. Even if it's simply visualising the friendships she is going to make and the adventures she’s going to have when she first starts university; manifesting can give her direction as she sets out on her own.
4) Just Be You Thoughtful Keepsake
A super important message for your daughter as she starts her university life, to simply be herself. The Just Be You Thoughtful Keepsake reminds her that she is perfect as she is, no need to pretend to be something other than her true authentic self. And in doing so, she will find her tribe and other like-minded friends who will share her values and her outlook on life. It can be so easy to feel pressured to be something you’re not when you leave home but having a loving reminder hanging by her bed, over her desk or in her bag can be just the reassurance that she needs.
5) Love From Me Necklace
A simple yet beautiful necklace with a heart design and a personalised fabric “Letter” to make this a really meaningful and heartfelt gift for your daughter as she leaves home and heads to university. With a bespoke message inside the giftbox, she will carry all your love and kind words with her as she dives into her new life.
Leaving home and starting university is always a huge step – full of excitement, plans, hopes, dreams as well as nerves (ours as well as theirs!) We hope we have prepared them well for the big wide world, both practically & emotionally and it’s time to let them go and spread their wings. And for us mums (and dads), we also have to adjust to a new balance at home, a new dynamic and not knowing the detail of their day to day life!
Sometimes a gift of the “right words” is all you need to send them on their way, to let them know that they are loved and always will be, to let them know how proud you are and that you can’t wait to hear all about uni life and their adventures. That’s the most important gift you can give.
And by the way, I found out many years later that my daughter always carried her Hug From Mum badge in her scrubs pocket to give her a boost when she needed it most – I only found out when she asked for a new one as it had been through the washing machine by mistake!
And that made me incredibly happy and one proud mum.