It’s tough letting go. We went through that a few years ago with our oldest. We loaded his stuff in a rental van and moved him up north to the university he chose. Then I watched the weather, the campus cams, everything I could for months just to keep in touch with what his day-to-day life was like. But I didn’t call much – I wanted him to not feel tethered to his parents.
After awhile, we became used to his being his own man. Our youngest was about to graduate HS and had his own life. My wife and I found new things to do outside being a parent. And you know what? It is waaaay more fun than my own college years! People in our age bracket are re-experiencing their wild side, but they have the money to do it right and the confidence to know what they want. These truly are the good old days.
(back to original topic: we gave our kids a choice too: UC or State. Take your pick. 🙂 )