Parents want their college kids to spend more time at home than going out when they come back home to visit. The fact is probably the opposite for most of the time in many families.
Thinking back of those home visits in my college years, I hung out with friends almost everyday, leaving my parents waiting for me to come back until very late. My parents never commented or showed unhappy faces, only asked what my plan would be for the next day. I should have been sensitive to my parents’ feelings other than selfishly enjoyed my time my own way.
My son is better than I was, I think. He fairly shares his time at home and with his friends. He will come home tonight after work and the dinner with his friend who he met last March in Intel Science Talent Search in Washington D.C. and now is studying in Harvard University, and leave for Boston either Sunday night or Monday morning. My husband and I were excited at his plan and in the meantime wondered about his decision which was revealed in his next words, “I want to see my friends.” We are happy for him to see his friends at home and hope he would plan for a home visit between finishing of his internship and start of his sophomore year.
