As seniors in high school, we were all counting down the days until graduation, then freshmen year orientation and then, finally, the day we got to leave for college. After 18 years of living with your parents and siblings, you were so ready for new roommates and some serious space. Move-in day was a blessing and waving goodbye to your entire family as they pulled out of the parking lot was freeing. But despite the excitement of that newfound independence, the space you finally get from them while away will make you realize how much you truly need them and appreciate them.
When making the college decision, distance was a major factor. Who wants to go to college but live at home? That’s not the college experience my friend’s Facebook albums promised me. I wanted to go far enough away that I would feel like I was on my own, but close enough so that it wouldn’t require a plane ride to travel back and forth. I’ve always been close to my family but I knew it was time for a change of scenery. Being from New York, UNH was the perfect balance of my two requirements.
During my first semester of freshmen year, I remembered questioning why my friends would go home for the weekend. We were finally on our own to do whatever we wanted, why go back to your house to lounge around all day?
I almost made it the whole semester without visiting home but after a phone call from my dad I realized how much I truly missed them all. Growing up with your family around constantly, there’s always going to be bickering and fighting but at the end of the day, it’s your family.
You love them, care for them and put them before anyone else. Being away from them for an extended period of time makes you truly appreciate the one-of-a-kind love they have for you. Who else would ship you the dress you forgot in your closet? Or send you Valentine’s Day care packages with your favorite chocolates? Or mail your birthday cupcakes and cheesy cards?
Going away to school has brought me closer than ever to my family. I speak to my parents almost everyday and am constantly talking to my younger sister. Even my brother, who’s ten years younger then me and is mainly interested in ignoring me to play basketball, finds the time to call and FaceTime me. Sometimes it takes that space and separation to remind how much you truly care for and need the people who helped make you are.