Last weekend, for the first time since September, both of my parents were able to visit Colorado. Although I often count the days, the hours even, until their visits in pure excitement, it is not until they leave that I completely realize how thankful I am for them and the time they spent with me. Following each of these short visits, I realize more and more things about my parents that I took for granted when I lived at home.

1. A Mom’s Hug

College is a very touchy time of life. Whether it is a professional handshake for an internship interview or some less-than-professional contact throughout the day, college students are not typically lacking in physical affection. Nonetheless, no matter how many hugs you receive from the thousands of “best friends for life” you have, there is no form of affection as genuine, caring and meaningful as a hug from your mom. I can only hope that one day I understand how moms can pack so much meaning into one embrace. Until then, I will continue to appreciate my Mom's superpower that cannot be supplemented.

2. A Dad’s Sense of Humor

I know that my dad has not gotten exponentially funnier since I left home (unless he’s taking some sort of secret comedy class I have no idea about) but I now have a different perspective on his everyday jokes and stories. As hilarious as some of the “I got so wasted last night bro” stories can be, there is nothing I enjoy more than sitting at a Mexican restaurant and laughing like crazy while I listen to my dad talk. There may have been a time in my life where I blushed from a comment he made, but now I realize there’s nothing better.

3. Advice on Life

Every college student has gone through (or may still be going through) that phase in life where they are the all-knowing-smartest-person-of-all-time. Luckily, most of us have passed this mindset and are now more willing to accept criticism and advice from others. Although seeking advice from best friends may be easier about “college-y” topics, a parent’s perspective is sound, rational and dependable. In high school, it was easy to feel like parents were always just “being nosy” and “wanted to control my life,” but now it is much easier to see that their wisdom often led me the right direction.

4. Being in the Same Room as Them

This feeling hit me more this visit than ever and it is really difficult to describe. This weekend, my dad had to finish a proposal for work, and I had some schoolwork to do. To top it all off, snow-madgedon April 2016 decided to hit Colorado which made going out and adventuring very difficult. As a result, we spent a good deal of the weekend sitting in a basement working on our respective projects. As boring as that might sound, I had an incredible weekend. I was exponentially happier working on my schoolwork in the basement with my parents simply in the same room as me than if I had worked on my schoolwork in the basement alone. When you leave home, you realize that every moment you can spend with your parents is valuable. There’s an indescribable and uplifting spirit that overwhelms the room as soon as you are reunited.

5. “I’m proud of you”

Nothing will ever surpass the feeling of your parents looking you in the eyes and saying this phrase. In high school, my parents would often tell me this over a family dinner when I was describing some sort of sports activity or test score from that day, but in college the phrase has grown to mean much more. Instead of being proud of a particular action, parents now look at you and see all of the craziness of your life with schoolwork, clubs, internships, volunteer work and everything else and say “I’m proud of you for all that, but I am more proud of you for the person and adult you are becoming.”