My first year of college, in a word, was an experience. Being truly independent like that for the first time in my life was incredibly freeing: I had no parents to rag on me about chores, only deadlines for papers and meetings with friends for dinner or just to hang out.
However, as we all know too well, all good things must come to an end, and so it was. Suddenly my room that I'd lived in for a year was dismantled into cardboard boxes and the loft bed I'd nestled into every night was back on the floor in the generic starter room position. It felt a little surreal, why put in all that work to be comfortable when you have to dismantle it at the end of the year? Regardless, I packed my things into the back of my dad's truck and hugged my roommate goodbye, promising to call her when I got home.
When I did get home, my house was just the same as I'd left it, which was almost as weird as packing my year's worth of work into boxes. My dogs were ecstatic to see me, always the best part of coming back home. After we unpacked my boxes to rest for a little while in the middle of the dining room, my dad and I sat on the couch, talking about trivial things and feeling a bit at odds. I'd left for school a different person than I was now, and both of us were at a loss of what exactly to talk about.
Since I wasn't going to work for a while, I had plenty of time to sort through my things and clean my room back up after the tornado that was a year's worth of living was packed away. When I did household chores, my parents were thrilled, and that became the key point in keeping relations strain-free. I had to learn how to be an adult in a household of other adults, and that was a new and unanticipated challenge. All I knew at that point was that I couldn't go back to the role in the house I'd had before, nor did I want to, and my parents understood and agreed.
It's certainly been a different experience for me now that I'm home. Starting up work in a few days will certainly help with the extra time to think I've got on my hands, as being busy is always the best recipe for smooth sailing in this house. It does have its perks, as staying out late with friends is only one or two texts now rather than a day or so of strategic planning. My parents are letting me live and be out and about, and I greatly appreciate that. Of course, it gets a little rocky at times, and I'm still learning, but I believe in time that this new dynamic will grow and refine into a comfortable lifestyle for all parties involved.
