Last year around this time, I was counting down the days left living at home. I couldn’t wait to get away. It wasn’t that I wanted to get away from my parents, but I wanted to experience meeting new people, a change of scenery, and have more freedom. And I got exactly that. But, it wasn’t everything I imagined it would be. In my mind, I would be having so much fun meeting new people that I would never miss my parents, I would rarely want to call and be able to do majority of most things on my own with little to no trouble.
As much as I hate to admit it, I was wrong. I did miss my parents, a lot. I called them multiple times a week, whether it was to ask for advice or just tell them about my day. Honestly, they might’ve gotten sick of me calling so much, but I couldn’t help it. The two people that have always there, weren’t. They weren’t too far, but they weren’t as close to me as I was used to. It was hard to adjust without them. I never realized that laundry was a never ending process or how lonely eating dinner alone could be. I never thought that I would miss the talks or “lectures” as I called them, that my daddy would give me trying to teach me a lesson. There were frequent times I felt alone, not knowing what to do, just wanting a hug from either one of them telling me “It would all be okay.” I felt like they dropped me off at summer camp and forgot to pick me up. I had slowly realized that I had been taking advantage of everything they did for me.
Towards the end of this past semester, I was doing the opposite as I was in the beginning—I was counting down the days until I would be back at home. I loved my life at school, but I couldn’t wait to be with my family again. Now that I am back at home, yes I am bored sometimes (or a lot), but I now have the sense of comfort I had been missing while at school. I feel comforting knowing that I have two people around that care about me no matter what. I know if I call, they will answer. If I need advice, they will give me their honest opinions. I know they will always try to guide me in the right direction. I know that they will always be there. So to my parents, thank you both for everything you do for me. You may not realize it, but I am thankful that I have you. These past few long months of eating ramen, watching movies alone, and finding it at times difficult to make friends—I know I have you and I always will.
So yes, these past few months were exciting, but they were also (at times) scary. There will be so many decisions you have to make on your own that you are used to having your parents make for you. I never realized that until I had to live without them. No matter what, I know that they will always be there for me. Even if I mess up, they will still be there to love me. They have been there since the beginning and they will be there until the end.
