Leaving home is hard. You spend all of high school wishing to graduate and finally be a college student, but when it comes time to leave your family, it's hard. After tear-filled nights and aching hearts come to an end, it's break and now you have to go home. The weeks and days leading up to break are almost unbearable — going home will be so nice! What no one ever expects is that going home is hard too.

Don't get me wrong, I love being home and I love spending time with my family. However there are certain things about being home that come as unexpected challenges. I know I never expected that I would miss the friends I made at college so much. After spending every waking hour with these people, the thought of being away from them for more than a weekend is unimaginable. When at home, I find that I'm used to constant stimulation and human interaction. Lack of this is both a blessing and a curse. This means I get the alone time that I crave while at school but it also means that I get too much alone time. While my parents are at work and my sister is at school, I can feel myself slowly descending into madness.

At school, I am the boss of myself. At home, while my parents give me a lot of freedom (thanks Mom and Dad), there is a sense of responsibility that isn't present at school. Even though I know my parents trust me and allow me to do the things that I want to, I tend to retreat back into my high school self, always asking for permission. In a way, this is more of a respect thing for me. I want my parents to know that even though I'm technically an adult, I still want their opinion and approval. I also appreciate the structure that they give me, even if it doesn't seem like I do.

Going home is hard because it makes me miss my family and my hometown more. When I'm at school it's easy to forget how much I miss them because I'm so busy. I don't think that there will ever be a trip back to school that my heart doesn't hurt a little (or a lot). I love school and I love my friends here but there is no replacement for my mom, dad and little sister. In all honesty, leaving home is the worst part about going home. I don't want to leave my bed, my dog, my family. It's always hard being back at school for those first few days.

Mom, I'm guessing that the title of this article probably scared you a bit, but don't you worry. I miss you guys everyday and I enjoy every second of my time with you guys when I'm home, it's just really hard to leave you.