It’s hard to believe that the first-ever “The Bachelorette,” Trista Sutter, is now a mother to two grown teenagers. Time has certainly flown by, as Trista and her husband, Ryan Sutter, recently shared the emotional moments of dropping their son, Maxwell Sutter, off at college.
Taking to Instagram on August 17, Trista shared a clip of the family, including daughter Blakesley, arriving at the University of Colorado Boulder, where Max will be dorming during his freshman year. In fact, in her lengthy caption, Trista admitted that it was incredibly tough to hide her emotions as her son leaves the nest.
Trista & Ryan Sutter Share Emotional Moment They Drop Their Son Off at College
Trista Sutter wasn’t afraid to admit just how emotional she felt watching her son, Max, begin this exciting new chapter of his life as he headed off to college.
In her Instagram post, Trista shared a video of the Sutter family at the University of Colorado Boulder campus with all of Max’s things as he begins his freshman school year. In the bittersweet clip, the family is seen decorating Max’s dorm room, with his dad, Ryan Sutter, setting up a microwave and mini refrigerator. Max’s bedding showed pride for Colorado football as he also jokingly hung a huge poster of his girlfriend next to his bed.
“He’s gonna go so far and we’re definitely not angry. Emotional, yes, but so insanely excited and proud – which is a very strange place to be…caught between 2 drastic emotions. 🥹,” Trista wrote in her caption.
“On the one side, there is deep joy and gratitude that he is happy and close and that I have had a front row seat to watch him thrive. My heart of hearts knows that he is going to soar to beautiful heights, but on the flip side, my mama heart is just going to miss him so so much,” she continued.
Trista noted that she made sure to set Max up for success as he starts this new chapter, but admitted that shopping and getting everything ready still didn’t prepare her for the reality that she would soon be heading home without him.
“And yesterday, as we started saying goodbye, I got hit smack dab again. Hard. Couldn’t stop crying, even though I wanted to be strong for him. But I also wanted him to know that this goodbye was hard for me and that when things are hard, it’s ok to cry,” she said.
In the clip, fans could also spot post-it notes written by Trista for her son around his new dorm room, with one that reminded Max, “I am always just a phone call or text or hour drive away.”
Ryan Sutter Shares a Heartfelt Prayer for Look-Alike Son Max as He Goes to College
Ryan Sutter also made sure to commemorate his son’s new college journey with an emotional post. On Instagram, “The Bachelorette” contestant shared several black-and-white photos with Max and daughter Blakesley, including a sweet snapshot of the father-son duo wearing firefighter gear, as he shared a heartfelt prayer for his son.
“Dear God, I pray you grant Max no gifts, nothing material or of monetary value. Grant him no favor or preference or ease. Do not void his life of adversity or challenge. Do not give him comfort. Lord, don’t give him anything at all,” it began.
“Instead Lord, allow him to keep what he already has. Allow Max to keep his kindness and his heart. Let him keep his ambition, his strength and his adventurous spirit. Let him keep his smile, sense of humor, compassion and grace. Allow him his continued faith in you Lord and his love for his family – his mom and sister and me. Let him keep the knowledge that we will always be there for him.”
As Max starts college, Blakesley recently began her senior year of high school. Trista made sure to capture her daughter on her first day of her last year of high school, and toughingly shared in a post, “From her last first to her first first and a bunch of firsts in between, my beautiful baby girl is starting the prep to launch and I’m just going to keep telling myself that I’m ok (even though I’m not 🥹)ILY Blakesley Grace 🤍.”
