Like a lot of college students, my sister has spent most of her time away, coming home mainly for breaks and any important family functions.
She has developed her own lifestyle after spending a majority of the last 4 years not living at home. On the other end of that, my parents and I have also established schedules and routines that work with just the 3 of us living in our home.
Graduation is right around the corner now, and my sister moving back home has put all four of us into different mindsets to prepare for her moving back in. Below, are 5 mindsets from family members and the graduate have upon their college graduate moving back in.
1. Sibiling
Sure, the college graduate has come home before for breaks and to celebrate holidays. Those times are usually special times, where most siblings are in good spirits and doing things together that only happen once a year. Now, it's just a regular time of the year and good spirits are questionable. The counter top in the bathroom you once cherished as all yours is a shared space and that feeling of having your parents all to yourself has vanished. The times of who can scream "MOM" the loudest are fast approaching.
2. Mom
As expected, Mom is excited to have all members of her family under the same roof. No more special visits to a college campus and quality time can be even more frequent. Do not be surprised though if you see one more bottle of wine than usual on the counter top. While she won't deny she is happy to have her whole family together, she isn't oblivious to the fact that cleaning the bathroom more than once a week is on the horizon. It is back to making sure the house runs even more smoothly, so family members, help a mother out.
3. Dad
He seems happy on the outside, but on the inside he's panicking. Dad has one more person to share the TV with, not to mention utility bills are going to go back up. Hopefully it will only take a couple of weeks after the graduates back for dad to come out of his stressful funk.
4. The Graduate
They are back, and probably feeling like all the other family members combined. No doubt they are excited to be able to go straight to mom to talk and not have to call and possibly get their voicemail. On the other side, the graduate has just spent 4 years developing their own life and way of doing things. They have grown up, and following mom's "home by 1am" curfew rule is something they stopped doing 4 years ago. Reality is setting in that they are coming back to their family and they have to find a way to merge their new life with the old.
5. Entire Family Unit
The fights are going to happen, the stress is inevitable, and the cleaning and routines are going to get more hectic. What all family members and the graduate can agree on though, is that they are all reunited and their is a sense of peace around it. The sibling has another person in the house to hangout with. The mom has her graduate right there to help with anything they need. The dad has one more person to talk news and sports with. The graduate has their family right there to support them. Together everyone has love for one another.
Moving back in a graduate can be a trying time for all, but do not forget that the base of all this is exciting and a new chapter your family can embark on together!
Bonus Minset:
6. Pet
One more person to play fetch with!
