College Prep

So my son won't be home from his camp counselor job till just one week before leaving for college, so we're doing the back-and-forth email thing, where I send him suggestions for dorm-room bedding and he sends us suggestions for his new laptop. It's working out just fine, except the bedding he's chosen is black and gray. All I can think is, won't it depress him when the skies turn cloudy outside, and the relentless snow that his college town is known for, comes whispering down?

I want him to choose some brightly colored comfortor, like Caribbean blue, and sheets that contrast cheerfully, like lime green. When I suggest this my husband shakes his head woefully and my son, over the phone, says, "Mom, you're trying to ruin my college social life before it's even begun."

Fortunately for my son, the black-and-gray pinstrip comforter set at Bed, Bath & Beyond is too good a deal to pass up. In addition to the comforter, it includes a blanket throw, fitted and flat sheets, pillowcase, sham, a pillow, a laundry hamper, and two towels. No washcloths, but there's also a dry erase board and markers.

I went ahead and ordered it. I let myself be sold by the way the dry erase board seems so comfortably tucked against the pillow in the photograph. Maybe I'll find a bright cushion or accent to put on the bed, something that won't be viewed as insufficiently masculine. Honestly, I don't really get why the male of the species feels bound to limit himself to such dour colors.

I also found the perfect floor mat to go beside the bed. If I recall correctly, the dorm room floors are cool vinyl tiles. I'd want something warm to put my feet on in the morning. The mat matches the gray and black of the bedding ensemble, but it has two thin stripes of red, which I thought lifted the whole look somewhat. When I mentioned this to my husband just now, he gave a laugh that was halfway between a dubious snort and a guffaw.

"Why the laugh?" I protested. "You think a matching floor mat will be embarrassing?"

"Not if the other boys' mothers send them similarly decked out," he quipped.

Then I remembered that when my husband arrived at college for his freshman year, all he brought for his bed was a single fitted sheet with a Star Wars motif, which he dug out of his closet at home. And this is who I'm relying on as dorm decor consultant! Oh well, I might as well enjoy the little touches now, before my son comes home and nixes them.

This is actually a lot of fun.