It must seem exciting to be able to go out and buy your own stuff without your mom giving you a list. Or to go out to a party without having to ask anyone for permission. The real test is when you don't have an adult's approval on the things you do and buy.

Two days after a Target run, I would find myself thinking about why I bought toothpaste for five dollars and not just for a dollar from Dollar Tree. I would walk past the clothes section and feel like I need everything there when I have the same things in my closet back home. Control is something we don't learn when we live with our parents or guardians. With them, we can buy whatever we want, and if one of them says no the other is bound to buy it for us, or we just get it later as a Christmas or birthday gift. Either way, we end up getting what we want.

Your best friend's birthday is coming up and her tastes are extravagant, but you don't have the money to buy anything like that for her. Of course, there's the consolation that she would appreciate even the thought of you getting her a gift, but deep down, you're going to feel guilty about not being able to afford something she'd really like.

It's Friday night and you just want a break from the tiring week you've had, so you decide to go out to a party with your friends. You drink and drink until the dancefloor becomes your home. The real test is when you get back to the dorms and are almost caught for underage drinking. Back when we were living with our parents, we know there's no way we would participate in illegal activities because of the rules imposed strictly on us, but we hated our parents for these same rules. We loathed our "lack of freedom", and blamed it on our parents and guardians. The scary 'almost' encounters help us realize the environment we had at home in high school.

So to the parents and guardians, I'm here to tell you that you're doing the best job out there. Better than the law enforcers of our country and better than any teacher. Parents: by being the people us children hate the most but miss the most even one day after being away from home; by telling us what to do and what not to do, and we do exactly the opposite, that's when you know we learn by rebelling, and that's when you know what we will appreciate you the most.