College is great. You get to be who you are without judgment. You can make as many late night Walmart trips as you want. You can go places you’ve always wanted to go. Most importantly, you get to be independent. But as we all know by now, college isn’t always a year-round thing. If you are like me, you are home for the summer. With your parents.

Now don’t get me wrong, I love my parents. I missed them like crazy while I was away and I’m glad to be home with them for the summer. But I don’t think I have ever felt more... weird.

I don’t want to say I’ve regressed as a person; I am still an independent 19-year-old college student. However, I went from being someone’s child to being independent and back again in less than a year. I have to ask before I go places. When I leave the house, I tell my parents where I am going. Someone always asks how my day was, what I had for lunch, and what I did. Someone is always curious about what I’m doing for the weekend.

Living with other people who aren’t just friends feels foreign. Someone else is in charge, and I had forgotten what that was like.

Another thing I’m not used to anymore is having someone else there to clean. Whether it’s laundry or the dishes, if I don’t get to something right away, they mysteriously end up clean anyway. I know it isn’t my mom’s job to clean up after me, and I try to do as much as I can to clean up after myself, but sometimes you just get in a hurry. Life happens. Instead of having a pile of dirty clothes in the corner, I’m finding those clothes magically clean and folded for me.

While I do enjoy the help, it’s like I said. It just feels foreign. I’m sitting here in my mom’s living room remembering the spring break trip I took with some friends, missing the late night fro-yo and somewhat gross cafeteria food. I guess it’s a win-lose kind of thing. While I’m away at school, I miss my family. While I’m with my family, I miss my friends and school. I know when I go back in a couple months, I’ll be sad to say goodbye to everyone. I also know I’ll be excited to return.

For all of you out there facing the same feelings, I recommend just enjoying it while you can. Let your mom do a little of your laundry. Eat the burgers your dad spent time grilling for you. Relax at home with the family on a Sunday afternoon. You have your whole life to be on your own. You only have so many years you get to spend with your parents.