Freshman year I called my mom daily. It wasn't so much about missing home but because she was someone to talk to on my walks across campus. I never called home when I was sitting in my room, it was just very different from high school when you walked down the hallways with friends and now you walk across campus in silence.
It was nice because I could catch up with her and hear all the gossip from home. I never called my dad unless it was an emergency or my mom told me too.
Whenever I went home for breaks or on the rare chance that I did call home, my dad would bombard me with questions about school and what I was doing. He would ask me every day about stuff when I was home and it started to frustrate me which pushed me too far and I would always snap and be rude when I would answer his questions. This led to a rift in our relationship and caused so many issues between us.
Sophomore year I would like to say that things changed but they really didn't. My mom was still my go-to person to talk to and my daily phone call and my dad was left in the dark. One day when I was home for break we had a sit down and he told me how much it bothered me that he never got told anything that was happening.
We used to be so close and so me not calling him made him feel like I was mad or ignoring him when I wasn't; kind of. I did start to ignore him because he would always ask about grades and I didn't want to talk about that; I wanted the fun and light conversations that I had with my mom but I wasn't getting that.
Over the summer my mom was talking with me and told me that I should call him more. I did start to call him a bit more the last part of my sophomore year, by more I mean maybe once or twice.
She always told me that it could be quick, right in the middle of the day and just tell him I had a few minutes to talk but I wasn't convinced. It wasn't until I started having chapter meetings at my sorority house that I decided to make time for him.
I used to have to walk from a building on campus to my dorm after chapter and I would walk with sisters, now I live off campus and need to drive to and from there and park farther away. I, as a small girl, am scared of being taken or robbed or something of that nature so I decided to start calling my dad.
At first, he was surprised that I was calling but now he knows I call every Sunday night when I am walking to my car and he usually just stays on the phone until I am at my apartment and they are always quick calls and guess what?
The more I called and showed him I could be more consistent and open with him, the more I had the conversations that I wanted to have. I love calling my dad and usually, it leaves me feeling happy and glad that I called.
Boys, call your moms. I cannot tell you the number of times that I get told how little information my boyfriends mom receives from him because he hardly calls home and when he does, he calls his dad.
I usually am the one to text his mom about things and send pictures so she always tells my mom and me how much she wishes my boyfriend would call her like I call my mom (or at least more consistently).
Parents do not care what you have to say, they just want to hear from you. Call even if you have a minute or two of your day. Share a funny story, go through your day, tell them anything because they just want to know what's happening; same goes for grandparents. Go call home.
