Back to school season is very much so in full swing and you know what that means! You guessed it, college move-in time. If you're like me, you live on campus and go through the whole shindig of Welcome Week and moving into a new building with some familiar faces and others that aren't.
My parents are involved in every aspect from the shopping to helping me clean up the place when I leave. My mom is one to talk and she loves meeting new people and giving advice to other mothers that she sees in the buildings. In all the hustle and bustle, I see other students giving their parents "the look" while their parents are geeking out and I cannot help but feel slightly sad.
Maybe they actually can't wait to leave the house and be on their own or their parents are ~actually~ embarrassing, but personally, I am proud to have my mom and dad around. They have never embarrassed me and I am so happy whenever they're around. How can I ask them to stop, when they're sharing the experience with me on their own and just trying to figure things out too.
I'm thankful for them and that they make the time for me. The support they show is something I treasure close, so how can I just ask them to "stop"? I know that if I was in their place, I would be doing the same thing- asking questions, complimenting other families, or checking if that mom needs help carrying that box.
My mom showed me a quote on Facebook that read something like, "When your mom wants to fold your clothes and put them away, let her. When your dad wants to put together all of your furniture, let him. These are some of the last moments that they get to treat you like a baby and it's hard for them, just like it's hard for you." I couldn't help but think of all those times where I let my parents be my parents and I smiled. Flashbacks of all the good times in the beginning starting playing in my head.
Seeing my parents enjoy themselves warms up my heart and I know that it's mutual, so they could never embarrass me. Middle school me might disagree, but that's another story. You don't realize how precious those times were until they are a memory.
The thing about growing up is that you actually want to be around your parents. Moving out doesn't sound as fun as it did when you were 16 and running errands with your mom is actually the time of your life. Adulting is weird and figuring life out is weird, but pushing your parents out the door and begging them to leave is just going to make it worse.
So, really, when your mom wants to talk to the other moms about where she got your pots and pans, let her. And when your dad is shaking hands with your roommate's dad, let him.
Let them experience life with you. They brought you this far and they deserve it.
