College is hard. Like really hard. Sometimes you need to call up your best friend from home and vent about how unfair your professor is, or drown your sorrows in a pint of Ben & Jerry’s (I’m not judging). But, then there are other times when you just need the comfort of home. You miss being able to walk in the door after a long day and knowing your mom will know just what to say, or not to say. Yet, even though you’re feeling down you hesitate to call your parents because it makes you seem “homesick” or “dependent”. Bull sh**. Call your parents.
I’m not really sure why there’s a stigma associated with calling your parents. There is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to feel the comfort of home. Yet, people who call their parents often are judged as “homesick”, as if they’re not enjoying college. Just because you talk to your mom and dad every other day, or even twice a day, does not mean you dislike college. It’s not one or the other. You can enjoy college and call your parents too. In fact, calling your parents probably makes you appreciate college that much more.
When you talk to your parents you get to tell them about all the activities going on around campus and the project you’ve been working on recently, or retell a funny story that happened to you yesterday. Talking about your experiences and reminiscing on certain moments will make you reflect on your college experience. I’ll bet that when you get off the phone you’ll be more appreciative of your college education and experience than you were before you called your parents.
Your parents have supported you your entire life. Whether it’s financially, spiritually, or emotionally, it doesn’t really matter. They’ve supported you in the past and they will continue to support you in the future. Call them. Let them know you appreciate their support, that you couldn’t have made it to where you are without them.
Call your parents, let them know what’s going on in your life. They want to hear about your latest test and how hard you’ve been working at practice lately, or that new club you’re starting up. Parents who have kids away at college want to give them space. However, that does not mean they don’t want to hear from you for 4 months- so call. Even if you don’t have any news, call and tell them about your average day. I promise it will make their day ten times better.
Though so many students believe calling their parents shows signs of homesickness, weakness, dependency, whatever you want to call it, it’s not true. Your parents want to hear from you, and sometimes you just want to hear their voice (and guess what- that’s ok!). Everyone’s relationship with their parents is special in it’s own right. So whether you call your parents once a week, or you call them twice a day it doesn’t really matter. Just know that it is completely ok to call you parents whenever you feel the need.