We all get sick. It happens to everyone at some point. As a child, you probably got to stay home from school and experience the thrill of having a day off. But when you’re older, being sick is ten times worse than it was as a kid. That sick day you loved so much isn’t as fun as it used to be. Here are five reasons sick days were a lot better when you weren't in college:

1. Your Parents

The best part of being sick at home was having your parent(s) around and essentially getting to spend the entire day with them. No matter how sick I was, I was always up for a car ride to Target or anywhere with Mom or Dad, mostly because it usually ended with me getting a new toy (but that’s beside the point). Just having them there to take your temperature, make you lunch and watch over you was a comfort when you were under the weather. Now, I’m lucky if I can even get my mom to respond to a text I sent her 12 hours ago.

2. Uninterrupted Screen Time

You’re the only kid at home, which gives you an all-access pass to whatever TV shows or movies you want to watch--uninterrupted. Cyberchase, Kim Possible, The Proud Family, you name it, I was probably watching it. Watching TV shows in college isn’t as different as it was as a kid (I’ll always watch Cyberchase when I’m sick), but now, along with our favorite PBS and Disney shows, we can throw conspiracy videos and mass incarceration movies into the mix to enrich our casual Wednesday sick day.

3. The Thrill of Watching the Clock

As a kid, watching the clock and thinking about where I would be if I wasn’t sick was incredibly entertaining. I used to say, “Ha! Everybody’s in Math right now!" while sitting in bed wrapped around my comforter, a huge grin on my face (yes, my younger self definitely got too much satisfaction thinking about other people suffering). The excitement of knowing that your classmates were ignorant of your whereabouts during the pre-G-mail-chat era was thrilling.

4. No Stress

Seeing as in 4th grade you don't have to deal with research papers or online assignments, sick days were the epitome of relaxation and a stress-free day. But as a college student, we still have to deal with all that. When I'm sick, all I can think about are the lecture notes that I’m missing and the time I’ll have to take later to make up what I missed in class. You’d think having the whole day without class would cause you to be slightly more productive, but instead, it just leaves you frantically trying to turn in that one assignment you had due at 11:59 p.m. that you didn't do the entire day.

5. Unlimited Pantry Access

If you’ve grown up with siblings, I’m sure you’ve done this. Your siblings aren’t home and you have VIP access to every snack in the pantry, including theirs. Would they really notice if you snuck a pack of fruit snacks or snagged a Froot-By-The-Foot from their exclusive stash? I mean, you are sick after all, and if some fruit snacks are going to make you feel even slightly better, you just have to do it. Flash-forward to the present, where the only source of sustenance you can find in your dorm room are Ramen noodles, granola bars and Cheez-its. Sure, you could mope downstairs and use your meal plan to get more food, but why would you want to give yourself food poisoning on top of the flu?

Being sick in college pretty much sucks.

You don’t have your parents around, you don’t have any food and you’re missing the precious class time that will later haunt you leading up to that next exam. Now, that doesn’t mean I won’t watch hours of “Lost” without a second thought because I absolutely will, but let’s face it. Sick kids have it better.