Being away from your parents while you're away at school is hard for everyone. It's just as hard for you as it is for them. You are learning to live on your own and to complete tasks that they used to do for you, like grocery shopping and doing the laundry. You being away is hard for them simply because they miss you! They're proud to see you grow up, but it's hard for them to watch sometimes. While you're away, you don't always talk to them every day, and they miss that. There are a few things you haven't said to them in a while and a few things they need to hear.

1. We miss you.

As much as it seems like we don't come home often enough, we do miss you more than you know. Even though we like to talk about what's going on here at school, we still like to hear about what's going on at home, and we do miss it. We like it when you keep us in the loop about what's happening around town, and we want you tell us all about the things going on with you guys.

2. We're doing okay.

School is going pretty well. Classes are easier this semester, but that won't lead to us slacking off like usual. Well, not yet, at least; we are only a few weeks into the semester. Yes, we're keeping up on our laundry... seriously this time, and the bedroom is kind of clean for once.

3. It's a good thing that we like school.

We used to hate it, and that made you so sad. Now, we love it, and that makes you sad too. Just because we like school doesn't mean that we don't like coming home just as much.

4. Yes, we still need you.

We'll always need you. As much as we like to pretend we're independent and can live on our own, we still need your help. We still don't know how to do most everyday tasks and we'll still call you every time we need help with car trouble and confusing bank statements. And to borrow money, of course. Thank you or always saying yes to that.

5. We're thankful.

We might not say it often enough, but we know that we owe you the world. Thank you for getting us ready and encouraging us to go to school in the first place. And thank you for helping us stick it out through the tough times. Thank you for helping us when you know we need it, but also stepping back to let us make a few mistakes of our own.

Living on our own is hard and is such a bittersweet time for all of us. Thank you for putting up with us and for understanding what we're going though, even when we don't understand it ourselves. Thank you for always being our biggest supporters; we appreciate it more than anything in this world.