The end of this summer marks the end of many things for me, including my term as editor and my last summer as a college student. But it also marks a finale that could not have come sooner – the end of my summer living at home.
After a year in a dorm and three years in apartments, I decided to save some money this summer and live at home in Denham Springs. Seventeen years at home was tolerable – how bad could a summer be?
I quickly learned it was quite a challenge to transform my carefree college student self into a responsible family girl.But it can be done, and here are some lessons I learned along the way:
1. BYOB (Bring Your Own Bed). This I learned rather quickly. I’m the oldest of four children, so naturally my younger siblings were counting down the days until I went off to college so they could take over the space I once occupied.
After four years of the younger ones getting cozy, not only do I not have a room, I don’t have a bed. (Somehow my college freshman brother ended up with the spare bed – I’m still trying to figure this out.) So my summer nights have been spent, believe it or not, on a cot on the floor of my sister’s room. I can get past the creaking metal and the cramped space, but try stumbling out of that bed at 6 a.m. It’s not pretty.
2. Embrace your inner gopher. My parents are thrilled to have another licensed driver in the house to run errands for them. I expected a certain level of debts to be repaid for my free room and board this summer, but Mom and Pop have the most unfortunate of timing in their requests.
“Sure, Dad. I can go to the store to get milk – it’s only 11:30 p.m. I’m sure not ALL the stores are closed. Don’t worry, my Spanish paper can wait, and I can survive just fine on four hours of sleep.”
3. Your parents want to make you fat. So my clothes fit a little more snugly now that I eat three square meals a day. I never thought I would appreciate the college-student diet of whatever-you-can-afford-until-you-get-paid.
Like any set of Louisiana parents, mine force upon me a diet of jambalaya, boiled shrimp, fried catfish and all the “fixins” that go along with them. Tortuous, I know. But they expect me to eat – all of it. This brings me to my next lesson…
4. The world revolves around dinnertime. Every day, at about the same time, I get a call from my dad wanting to know what time I will be home and telling me what we’re having for dinner.
I’ve almost forgotten what it was like to work or study until you get so hungry you could eat your arm, and then force yourself to eat canned green beans because that’s all you’ve got. Those days are long gone. It’s hard to explain to my family that I eat when I get hungry, whenever that may be.
5. The dog will eat your homework. Well, maybe not exactly, but someone will give you some excuse not to be productive. Like when my 8-year-old sister wants to display her latest gymnastic skills for me, or when my 16-year-old sister is having boy drama, or when my parents have a crowd of friends over to play cards.
My house is like a vacuum, sucking away my valuable time. Hours, even days, can go by and my “to do” list sits lonely, waiting for me to cross off tasks.
6. Family bonding is not so bad. So here’s where I get a little serious and sentimental. I realize that, if my life goes according to my personal plan, this is the last time I will ever live with my entire family. And the truth is, I’ve really enjoyed it.
I’ve hung out with my siblings, learning that they have changed a lot since I went to college. I’ve spent time with my parents, learning that all along, they really have had my best interest at heart. And I’ve learned that when I look back on my time in college, I want to remember my family experiences as much as everything else.