By Katie Kelly
Coming home for the holidays after being away at school can be tricky. It’s exciting to see friends and family that you haven’t seen in a while but going home can also bring feelings of stress and anxiety.
Life keeps moving at home while students are away for the semester. A prime example: when I came home for the holidays my first year of college, my older brother and his fiance had moved into my parents’ house while they saved to buy a new home. Keep in mind, my brother hadn’t lived at home in over five years and I was pretty used to having the place to myself. There was a clear and steep learning curve when it came to three adult children peacefully sharing a bathroom. We were constantly moving cars around in the driveway to make everyone fit. One morning I came downstairs to my car’s side mirror on the kitchen counter with a note from my brother, who inevitably had hit something while rearranging the vehicles, that said “I’m sorry. I’ll get it fixed”. Needless to say, this was a very memorable break.
The point of this anecdote is not that three adults should not live with their parents, but rather, to be kind to your students. We expect everything to be unchanged. Transitioning back to life at home can be really tough, even for a short three weeks. From extreme freedom to having to let your parents know where you’re headed for the night is a 180 and can be a shock to the system.
On the other side, I invite students to be patient with their families. Your loved ones missed you the last four months and they’re excited to spend time together. Instead of getting annoyed or feeling like your family is nagging you, enjoy the stocked fridge and sleeping in your own bed.
Katie Kelly is a Seattle native studying marketing. This is her senior year at Boise State. She loves true crime podcasts, the Seahawks and pizza. She is a member of Alpha Xi Delta sorority and works on campus as a peer advisor in the College of Business and Economics advising office.