When kids go off to college, it’s always a mixed bag of emotions for parents. On the one hand, they are extremely proud of their children and excited for them to take that step into their future; but on the other hand, they’re sad to see them go.
Often times, parents will try to send their kids off to college with reminders of home. When I moved abroad for my master’s degree, my mother sent me off to college with two framed pictures of my cats and a family recipe book to remind me of home.
For 19-year-old Jake Ostrowski, a freshman at Texas Tech University, his mother came up with a very clever parting gift that would help Jake not miss his dog Jesse so much.
Sharla, Jake’s mom, sent the college freshman off to school with a life-sized cardboard cutout of Jesse.
my mom got me a cardboard cutout of my dog to take with me to college 😂 pic.twitter.com/ejyLnHEujI
— papa jawn (@sadboijake) August 18, 2016
Amused by his mother’s farewell gift, Jake decided to share a picture of the cutout to Twitter. Once it was shared to social media, it quickly began trending.
Posted by Sharla Ostrowski on Sunday, August 21, 2016
Sharla must have been so happy to see her son gave the gift a prominent spot on the wall. It made us wonder if perhaps she gave Jesse a cardboard cutout of Jake?
he's loving the fame pic.twitter.com/Hp6MX4SWKC
— papa jawn (@sadboijake) August 20, 2016
Granted, any life-sized cardboard replica is no replacement for the real thing. But it can certainly help to fill the void in the meantime until there is a reunion.
thanks for making me famous, I'll miss you 💞 pic.twitter.com/YMy9xyuoel
— papa jawn (@sadboijake) August 19, 2016
And we have no doubt that both Jake and Jesse were counting down the days until the first semester break.
