I used to be really scared that people would judge me for calling home every night of the week. I thought that in order to be a “normal” college student you had to be having so much fun you forget to call your parents for weeks on end, and that if you called home a lot it meant you were homesick. But now I realize that it is more than okay to talk to my parents every day.
I have such a great relationship with my parents, and my family in general. They are my rock, and they inspire me in more ways than I know how to describe. I don’t really know where the notion came in that I couldn’t call them all the time and still have a life. Even on the few nights I do go out, I always make sure to send a text or call my mom up quick to say good night. I think it is so important to tell the people you love just how much you love them, because you never know what the next day could bring. Calling home for me is a routine and a comfort. I always know that there are people who have loved me my whole life and are rooting for me no matter what. To feel that I am loved and I have a place in this world really grounds me and puts the world back in perspective, because college can be really hard at times.
Maybe I will stop calling so much once I truly find my people on campus, but I really don’t think that anything will change, and I don’t see any harm done in the meantime. I am not isolating myself by calling home, and it doesn’t mean I am overwhelmingly homesick. My family is there for me, and it helps to hear a friendly voice sometimes. But I am still active on campus. I go to club meetings, see my friends, and of course go to class. I don’t think it’s a bad thing to call home every day. I don’t really understand why people think it is a warning sign of not adjusting because I think that I’m adjusting just fine. I don’t cry every day any more, and I don’t miss home with a passion that takes over my every waking thought. It is a dull ache, but one I can deal with and manage. Until I find a true reason it is holding me back, I will keep talking to my family every night. My nightly calls make this crazy world seem a little bit more sane.