As my freshman year of college comes to a close, I had to look back at my time in Sioux City, and look forward to my future at Morningside. One of the biggest questions I got when I told people that I am from Denver, Colorado was “Why Iowa?”

I used to laugh, wave it off, and explain that Morningside was my only option to pursue the athletic career that I had always wanted. However, now it’s time to seriously consider what made me decide to take the nine and a half hour trek to live in the land of the corn.

I heard from many of my high school friends that they were ready to pack up, move out, and finally be independent. In a way, I was ready too. Never having to tell anyone where you’re going, what you’re doing, who you’re with; you can finally be free! It’s a notion that drives many students to seek out a college more than a weekend trip away from home. But don’t be so quick to kiss your parents goodbye and tell them you will see them at Christmas! You may miss them a little more than you expected.

Just think, without parents around, whenever you need to buy anything, you have to go do it yourself! Not to mention pay for it yourself! Sure, you may have some leftover graduation money, Mom and Dad could wire you some money, you could just charge it to the credit card! But what happens next year when you no longer have the stash of money from the relatives sent from across the country in a stock-graduation card? What happens when Mom and Dad can’t make it to the bank that week? What happens when you realize that you will have to pay off that credit card bill next month? That work-study job only gets you so much before you’re stuck, broke and hungry. At least consider staying close enough to home to let your parents drive down once a month to take you to a nice meal, and slip a couple 20s in your wallet.

Without your parents around, you may not have anyone to confide in. “Oh, I will have my roommate! I can tell them anything!” True, until you get into a petty argument about the trash they left out or what time they came home last night and woke you up. “I have tons of friends on campus!” Also true, but you can’t talk to anyone quite like you can talk to your Mom. At least you know she won’t turn around and tell someone else. The one thing that I missed most when I left home was being able to tell my mom about my day, whether or not something interesting had happened.

Without your parents around, there will be no one to come to all the little events that the college holds for you. The ceremonies for your grades, the special dinners in the cafeteria, the last sporting events of the season. They will miss all the little things that may not matter in high school, but make the difference in college.

I guess the point that I am trying to get across is that you shouldn’t be so quick to be independent. You have plenty of years to pay for your own bills, plenty of time to live away from parents, plenty of time to be independent. Cherish the time you have Mom and Dad now, they won’t offer to pay for your dinner forever.