September 1, 2026 at 1:05pm EDT

Dropping your kid off at college for the first time can be bittersweet. Yes, it’s an exciting time in their life and something for mom and dad to be proud of, but there’s also that sense of sadness that comes with saying goodbye to someone you’ve raised for the last 18-ish years. In fact, moms on social media have taken to calling the feeling “momancholy,” that emotion that’s not quite grief, but is sadness all the same.

Stand-up comedian Kelly Manno’s take on college drop-off is going viral because, like the term momancholy, the emotions she shows in a video she posted are all-too relatable. Captioned, “College. Baby stealers. Whatever. At least I wasn’t over dramatic,” the funny clip is short, but it perfectly sums up how so many parents are feeling this fall as they take their kids to college campuses all over the U.S. and leave them in a new place.

“I hate college,” Manno says in the clip, which shows her leaving the campus of Chicago’s DePaul University after dropping off her child. “Stupid f—ing baby stealers.” 

“Stupid what?” her husband asks from behind the camera. “Baby stealers!” she answers before continuing to sob. “It should be illegal. We pay them to kidnap our kids. Makes no f—ing sense.”

Parents across the internet are sharing how much they can relate to Manno’s feelings. “I feel every ounce of this momma,” said one commenter. “I’m a college professor and I still tell them to call their parents. I got your back, one GenX mom to another.”

Another said, “Who struggled grocery shopping or with the first Sunday dinner after they were gone?” While one more weighed in, “Baby stealers is the truest thing ever! I sobbed the whole week leading up, the ride there, and home. You got this momma.”

And, while it’s very normal to feel like you don’t, in fact, have this, you really do. Parents who are veterans to the college drop-off process also chimed in on the post, promising that it really, truly does get less heartbreaking as the months pass.

“I feel this so much,” one mom said. “My kids are Irish twins so I sent them off to college back-to-back and cried for a month or two after they left. I promise it does get better in time.” Another said, “Freshman year goes by fast, I promise! Can’t say dropping off for sophomore year gets better, but at least I know it’s going to go by fast.”

One mom added that, while she feels sad, she sees the joy in the moment, too. “But what a gift it is to be blessed with a child who is able to have this next chapter,” she wrote. “That’s what I keep telling myself. It’s so bittersweet.”