When I was in high school, I was looking forward to leaving my home and going to a new place by myself. I thought of freedom, the “no responsibilities," and the “no worries." Unfortunately, I was wrong. As I was saying goodbye to my friends, it pained me to say goodbye to my parents. As the plane prepared for take-off, I realized all the things I was not prepared to do or to be... without them. Yet, there I was about to depart to a new place… all by myself. Here are 12 things I learned when my parents weren’t around (you’d be surprised):
1. Wake up for classes
I never used to set an alarm for class. My dad usually wakes up early and cooks me and my sister breakfast, and eventually comes to our room, turns on the lights, and yells, "Time to eat guys!" I miss that. Now, I have to set five different alarms to fully wake up.
2. Do the laundry
Yes, believe it or not, I never did the laundry in high school. It was always my mom. So when I moved to Portland for college, I had to figure things out myself.
3. Actually cook (Going out to eat is a pain, because money)
Like I said, my dad always cooked for our family. He was a great chef. I depended on him too much, so that all I knew was to fry eggs, spam and sausages.
4. Do my taxes
My mom is an accountant, but she made me do my taxes this year. I kid you not, I didn't know what I was doing. All I knew is that I worked, got my W2, used TurboTax and I was done.
5. Discipline myself
In college, there is no one to hold your hand when you're struggling. You may have friends to talk to, but there's that longing and feeling that you're alone in this. I learned to push through and to discipline myself to succeed.
6. Know right from wrong
My dad used to always say that once I'm 18, he trusts that I know what is right and wrong. In my own ways, I can see that he is right.
7. How to be independent
Now that I am living in a place without my parents around, I had to learn how to be independent. I had to go shopping for my own food, toiletries and basic necessities, make money to pay my own bills and all that jazz.
8. Actually clean
None of that one wipe clean, but thorough sweep, thorough wipe, thorough everything. I experienced having to clean the toilet bowl, the sink, the kitchen counters, table tops, etc.
9. How to be on a budget/How to save money
One word that describes every college student ever: broke. Without my parents, I really had to be on a budget. I cannot just depend on them to send me money. I had to save for the long run. On top of my job, I had to find other ways to make money as well, such as selling stuff that I no longer use or writing/blogging.
10. Balance my time
Juggling work, classes, friends, family and personal time can be overwhelming. College played a big part helping me balance my time.
11. Let others in
My parents might not be around at all times, but there are people who I learned I could reach out to when I needed to. I let them in.
12. I learned that life is a lot harder without our parents, so we should appreciate and love them more for as long as they live.
