What's wrong with kids today!

I read the blog by the college whisperer, and thought it was great. He writes well and his insights are solid. I had 4 kids go off to college and oddly, neither they, nor I, reacted the same way when the time to leave home arrived. The variables underlying the behaviors are so diverse that it's close to impossible to determine ahead of time. Some of these factors include the position they hold in the family (oldest, middle, baby), their personalities, their fears and confidences, and the parent's state of mind and emotional make up. But teens in general are difficult to understand (how nice am I?), and we parents are often left wondering where our nice kids went and on what planet our present teens reside. 
Let us not forget the pride and freedom we experience though, once our children are accepted to, and settled in, college. It is a time of readjustment, change and movement, for the entire family. And therein lie some life lessons. How do we adjust to (ubiquitous) change? Do we communicate with our kids, spouse, and ourselves about our feelings, transition, the aging process? Oddly a phrase I grew up hating comes to mind (I hate it a lot less now) Wisdom is wasted on the young. There are some significant benefits that come with age. Although your teenager may not yet agree!