The Reality of Being Away from Parents

Although most teenagers hate to admit it, it is pretty true that most of us would be nothing without our parents. Coming to college it seems that every student is excited to finally be away from their parents with complete freedom, but after a year and a half of being on my own I have come to my own conclusions. It’s great….sometimes.

1. You can do whatever you want. There have been so many times I will be eating dinner at 11pm or at the library on a week night feeling guilty because I think I have a curfew or should be updating someone on my whereabouts but then I realize that I have no one to report too and the only people who would notice my absence are my roomies and let’s be honest they are normally with me anyway.
2. Laundry, food, money. Being on your own, especially when you are in an apartment and without meals being cooked for you, you realize just how much your parents did for you around the house. Not only are you now doing school and having a social life, but you have to cook and clean so that you can be a normal human. You realize very quickly that groceries get expensive… my advice when the parents are in town USE THEM! What better way to catch up then over a quick trip to the grocery store?
3. You become stronger. Yes it is hard not having your parental support system right down the hall 24/7 but I do believe it makes you a stronger individual. You still know they are just a phone call away, but being on your own makes you push yourself and realize that you can get through more difficult moments than you thought.
4. Sometimes you just want a hug. Going off that, sometimes all you want is a hug from the ‘rents and your dog and being over 3,000 miles away can make this difficult. Phone calls are a good substitute but not quite the same.
5. You realize just how lucky you are. This may not be how everyone feels, but being away from my parents has helped me realize just how amazing they really are. There are so many times where I have caught myself thanking my parents under my breath, because they made me do laundry and clean before I even came to college or because they helped me grow into a strong adult who can get through bad days, and above all because they gave up so much more than I’ll ever be able to understand just so that I could pursue a dream and get a college education.

So yes being away from parents has its perks and its downfalls, but above all it just makes me realize how much they mean to me. So coming from a college student who has to go four months without getting that hug or being able to say thank you in person I have one piece of advice. Don’t forget about them. Don’t get so caught up in the amazing experience that is college that you forget about the two people who helped you get here. They are still the ones that put everything down when the crazy nights out are gone and you are up to your head in books and midterms and just want to cry. Call them- just take a second to say hi and thank you I promise they will get a smile from it.

Until Next Time

Go Hawks!