Dear Parents,
We college kids lead dynamic, spontaneous, altogether chaotic lives apart from you. Although we realize that you carry on hectic schedules of your own, we know you think about us constantly. You worry about how we are doing in our classes, you wonder whether or not we have sparked a romantic connection with anyone, and you hope we are staying out of trouble. You pray for our safety, you wish for our success, and you remind us that you remain our constant support team back home.
In between your jobs, your errands, and your daily demands, you pause and think about your children. Surely there are times that you enjoy the quiet peace at home or the empty-nester life, but we know that sometimes, you miss us deeply. You talk about us to your friends, you brag about us to the grandparents, and you send us texts to let us know you're there. And when we don't always pick up the phone and call, or when we forget to answer that email you sent us a few days ago, just know that we haven't forgotten about you. In fact, what you probably don't realize is that we think and talk about you more than you know.
Yes, it's true. We talk about you when we're at college all the time. We tell stories about you to our friends, we joke about your funny sayings or parent-isms, and we boast about how cool you are. Long gone are the days when we were horrifyingly embarrassed by your parenting. Now we tell everyone we know about the next time you are coming to visit and look forward to introducing you to our friends.
Sometimes it almost feels like we know each others' parents, even if they live across the country. "How's Linda?" or "What's new with Dave?" are frequent questions inquired of one another, of course referring to our mothers and fathers. The question "Do you miss home?" invites an opportunity for us to share about missing our parents and admit that we took living at home for granted growing up.
Because if we're being honest, we didn't fully realize how much we loved and appreciated you until you were no longer there in the morning to drag us out of bed, pack our lunches, bicker with us over test grades, and then send us off to school with encouraging words. We remember the stories you told us as kids that we now tell our friends, we take pride in the wonderful memories you created for us that we now have the privilege to share with others, and we cherish the wisdom you bestowed upon us that we now carry into the world. We talk about you because we are inspired by you and are proud of the people you helped us become.
So next time you're wondering how your college kids are doing and wishing we could be back in our childhood bedrooms that hold countless memories, remember that there's a good chance we're thinking and talking about you at this very second. While we're off having fun and developing into independent adults, know that we are giving credit to the ones who raised us. And you deserve all the praise in the world.
Love,
Your (Almost Grown-Up) Kids.
