For most parents, having their kids go to a college nearby is a dream come true.
For Kelly Ripa? Well, according to her surprising statements, it’s pretty much a nightmare.
Earlier this month, Kelly Ripa sent her only daughter off to college.
Both Kelly and her husband Mark Consuelos helped Lola move to New York, where she’ll be studying at New York University (NYU).
While saying goodbye, this emotional picture was taken.
“The nest is getting roomy,” the Live With Kelly and Ryan talk show host captioned the post.
Just months earlier, there had been major moments leading up to the family saying their goodbyes.
Her prom, for example, was a big one.
It saw the 18-year-old looking absolutely stunning in her green emerald dress next to her prom date.
“It only took 20 hours, but we finally got two approved prom photos,” Kelly captioned this photo of the mother and daughter.
Both looked so gorgeous!
There was also Lola’s graduation, which brought out the whole fam.
This won’t be Kelly’s last send-off to prom, graduation, or college either, as her youngest son, Joaquin, is only 16.
Her other son, Michael, is 22.
Days before Lola was off to college, Ripa posted this nostalgia throwback to back when Lola was young.
“#tbt 2001 from your Christening to college. In the blink of an eye.”
I’m not crying. You’re crying
So with all these emotional posts, you would think that Kelly would be over the moon that her daughter is at a college nearby, right?
Turns out, that’s not the case at all.
On a recent appearance on “On Air With Ryan Seacrest”, the radio show hosted by her “Live with Kelly and Ryan” co-host, Kelly shared some surprising truths.
Namely, how she has concerns about Lola living so close to the family.
“College is where you start establishing yourself as an independent person,” she began.
“And I think when you send your kid away to college — if your kid stays local — you get all of the hassle of sending your kid away to college but none of the sympathy or empathy from your friends.”
Basically, she doesn’t want Lola to get homesick and she believes that frequent trips home will do that.
“Your friends go, ‘At least she’s nearby’ and I go, ‘Yeah, but that’s not good’ because if she feels homesick, I have to say to her, ‘No, you can’t come home, you’re gonna have to work it out … whatever you’re going through, figure it out.’”
Kelly explained that she had the same talk with her son, Michael, who’s currently studying at NYU, just like Lola.
“I treat it all the same,” she told Seacrest. “I did the same thing with my son. It’s like, ‘You’re gonna have to figure out how to be an adult, this is when you figure it out.’”
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While many will call it tough love, Ripa does truly want the best for her kids.
It’s even partly why she wanted Lola to go to school in San Diego
The other reason was so that she would have a warmer climate to come visit, which is understandable given the frigid New York winters.
“I was so desperate to get any of my kids to go to school on the West Coast because I just wanna visit the West Coast! I wanna have Thanksgiving on the West Coast.”
Along with being homesick, the talk show host spoke about the struggles she anticipates Lola will face living with five (yes, five) roommates.
“Sharing a bathroom with five roommates, it’s gonna be the main challenge,” she laughed. “New York City kids are used to not having a lot of space so that, she’s already okay with … but the bathroom, that’s gonna be a thing.”
Not to mention, these roommates are all strangers, as mom pointed out.
“They’re all new people in her life,” she explained. “They don’t even fill out a profile so it’s truly like a surprise … they’re four strangers.”
Given all that she said, it’s not surprising that Ripa doesn’t have plans to visit Lola before Thanksgiving.
When they do finally reunite, we’re sure this fam will have lots to talk about over turkey dinner.
