Watching your child or loved one go on to a new stage of life is hard, but not impossible.
My first year in college is coming to an end. So much has changed for me over the years. Of course, the biggest change has been not having as much time with my mom and grandma. Being completely out of the house has been hard on all three of us.
I know they were scared. Scared I would hate it or get homesick or be stranded alone. But I wasn’t. I met people and joined things. After a few weeks, I felt comfortable. I did things out of my comfort zone, made friends, learned things I never thought I would and even got a boyfriend. Elementary, middle and high school were all horrible times for me. Many people thrive then, but not me. This hardship, if anything, is a part of why I am so close with my mom and grandma. I would not have made it without them.
As great as I might have made college sound, I could do that because of them. Because of all the things I learned from them. Things they might not even realize I learned from them. I know they feel like I no longer need them with me out of the house. They are wrong. The first few weeks, and even sometimes now, I feel a bit lonely. I can fight that feeling by reminding myself that they are only a call away. They do not believe me when I say I miss them, but I do. What they also do not know is that whenever I have struggled to do something, the first thing I ask myself is either what they would do, or imagine how great it will feel to tell them about this.
I am sure we are not the only family like this. No matter how you are related, if love is there, this will be hard. But know that you can all do this. No matter the scenario, you can do this because you have learned from each other. Just reach out to each other, and breathe. You will be okay, as will they, because they learned from you.
