college. 

the four best years of your life. 

four years that you 

learn,

achieve,

befriend,

enlighten,

but also

cry,

break down,

are stressed to your maximum, 

mature and acquire newfound responsibilities. 

 

freshman year is inviting and promising, exciting beyond comprehension. 

a new school, new people, new curriculum. 

but, new challenges. 

 

it suddenly hits you like a freight train that you are not a kid anymore. 

 

you haven't been a kid in a few years you might think - kids are 12 and younger. immature. not teenagers yet. 

but little did you realize that you were in fact still a child. 

until you reach the age of 18, you are a child in the eyes of many. 

 

mom and dad still buy your groceries. 

mom and dad still pay for your electricity and running water. 

mom and dad still buy your school supplies and your new back-to-school wardrobe.

if you're lucky mom and dad might still pay for your car and phone bills or even give you a few bucks to go to mcdonald's with friends when you're short on cash. 

you might have gotten a minimum wage job and made your own money, but it was definitely not enough to afford everything you wanted and needed. 

 

college changes everything. 

 

mom and dad don't make your grocery list. they don't buy your groceries. they don't put them away. 

mom and dad don't prepare your meals after a long day when you're tired and just want to nap.  

mom and dad don't separate your laundry so it doesn't get ruined. they don't wash it. they don't switch it to the dryer. they don't fold it and put it away. 

mom and dad don't wake you up for school anymore; now you have to rely completely on alarm clocks or your natural body clock.  

mom and dad don't pay your bills. 

mom and dad don't give you spare change when you need it. 

mom and dad don't check in from time to time to make sure your homework is done or that you've studied for that big exam tomorrow. 

mom and dad don't remind you that it's getting late and that you should probably go to bed since you have to be up in a few hours for school. 

mom and dad don't talk to your teachers when you're having problems or need extra help. 

mom and dad aren't introducing you to people to make friends. 

 

you are on your own. 

you are responsible for yourself and everything you want and need to do, financial or otherwise. 

and you truly never realize until the moment your parents leave you at college what a grueling, time-consuming, and downright difficult job it is being a parent until you have to be your own caretaker and voice of reason and responsibility. 

 

college changes you, yes, but it's for the betterment of yourself. it might seem overwhelming in the beginning, but it is very much worth it when reminiscing on the four short years of growth and maturity. 

 

you've got this. just hang in there, kid.