Going away to college is a funny thing. You see yourself as a fully grown adult who is leaving your parents behind.

Tired of the constant questioning, having your decisions made for you, and always having to explain where you have been and what you are doing. Sure, you feel this way as you look forward to living on your own and doing whatever you want. However, when the time comes to actually say goodbye, there are tears in your eyes and you realize just how much your parents have done for you.

From the first time you scraped your knee to asking questions about job interviews, your parents are the first ones you call.

They somehow have a way of knowing exactly what to say, even if it is not what you want to hear. Lately I have found myself overwhelmed with finals, internship applications, working, and balancing my social and academic lives. I have always seen myself as a strong, independent woman, yet I still find myself reaching for the phone to hear the wise words of my parents from a couple hundred miles away.

With everything going on in my daily life, sometimes I find it hard to make the time to call and update my parents on my life away from home.

But, when times get tough they are the first ones I call.

I have noticed lately how much my relationship with my parents has evolved. Rather than buying homecoming dresses with my mom, we can be found buying suits for job interviews. Little things like this make me realize how quickly I am growing up. Even though I have begun to notice these small changes, I have also seen how some things never change. My parents are the first ones I go to with good and bad news, fun and tough times, and questions and advice.

College may be a time of living on your own and growing up, but it seems to me that while I do not find myself living under their roof, I have never truly outgrown parental guidance.