Parents Weekend – the time of year spent wandering around CW, eating at the best restaurants and forgetting about midterms. It’s the time for your family to interrogate you on every aspect of life from classes to significant others. After several disputes over where to eat, what to do, and when to meet up, you begin to remember the best thing about college – everything is up to you. No one cares whether you wake up at noon or go to bed at 1 a.m. It’s up to you whether you socialize or study. You’re free to eat breakfast at 1 p.m. or order Dominoes after midnight. It seems so nice to not be dependent on someone else, but then Sunday comes and your family has to say goodbye, and suddenly, you just want to replay the last 24 hours one more time.

I was (and still am) a homebody. I have the most perfectly imperfect family in the world. We have our fights and we push each other’s buttons, but at the end of the day, they are my people. Leaving home was certainly a challenge for me. I remember tearing up when family weekend ended last year. I didn’t want to seem like the kid who missed home, but the truth was I was lost without them. Learning how to be independent and find my own happiness was a long process for me, and it wasn’t until the second semester that I found joy away from home.

This year, I decided to really embrace college. I threw myself into activities because I realized that college is so much more than just classes. It’s about learning, not just getting an A. It’s about forming meaningful relationships, and doing things just to make you happy. Despite the work, I have had more fun in the past month than I can remember. As family weekend approached, I looked forward to seeing everyone, but I didn’t feel the angst I felt last year. This was a huge step for me. Although I obviously miss my parents and siblings, I don’t allow that feeling to get in the way of my happiness anymore. Parents Weekend round 2 was a much different experience. When an argument would break out over something as simple as where to eat, I found myself wanting to be back in my college routine. For a split second, I even looked forward to having time to myself again to focus on school and friends.

Then, as I wrote my Mom’s birthday card, it hit me. I started to think about a girl from my high school who just lost her mom to cancer. I went numb, and I thought about how lucky I am. I can’t imagine the feeling of knowing I’ll never get to hear my mom’s voice again or hug her when I’m upset. Although I have learned to enjoy college, my family is still the most important and meaningful thing in my life. I go to them when I am stressed, when I need help making a decision or when I just need a little reminder of home. As they pulled away today, I got that feeling in the pit of my stomach. I already missed them.

For me, Parents Weekend was a gentle reminder to enjoy the limited time I have with my family. I am grateful for every laugh we share, every meal we eat together, every game we play and even the arguments we have. I am proud of the person I am, and the life that I created for myself at William and Mary. But, at the end of the day, when things fall apart, my family will always be there to pick up the pieces.