This is my first year at college. I’m also the first one out of the family’s kids to leave for this new stage of my life. This is supposed to be the start of an adventure for me; one in which I start to know what it feels like to be on my own. I’ve done my own laundry, I wake myself up, I walk down to the dining hall for food, and I even clean my room once in a while.
My parents are not there to tell me what I should be doing every hour of the day. I’ve picked my schedule, I have to manage my time, and I have to take charge of my future. So far, it has been going very well. I’m beginning to realize how much my parents do for me that I didn’t even realize they did. I’ve had to sort through financial items, talk to officials, and stand up for what I believe in. My parents aren’t there to fight a battle for me.
I call my house once a week. There have been weeks where I’ve called multiple times, but it all depends on how busy the week is. Sometimes my mom will become upset because I haven’t talked to her in so long, but she forgets that I had just talked to her a day before! Students don’t call home, not because they don’t care, but because everything goes by so fast. Weeks feel like days. And often, I don’t call because what I’ve done isn’t new and interesting to me–it’s simply my routine. I forget that my mom is actually interested in how my days go by, even if they go by the same way every day. What’s typical for me is news to her.
So, parents. If your child does not call every day, please don’t get worried, let them be. Let them grow and give them space. I know that I’m much more willing to call my house when my parents don’t make it a “chore.”