After being away at college for nine months of the year, moving back home for the summer can be a MAJOR culture shock for most people.

You go from no curfews, no chores, no "Where are you?" and "When will you be home?" texts from your mom to having (almost) all of the same rules you had when you were in high school. It can be overwhelming and definitely annoying.

We're adults now...we can take care of ourselves! We don't need mom and dad telling us what to do and when to do it. But, that is the price we pay for having a free place to stay for 3 months, and it most likely includes home-cooked meals throughout the summer. How bad can it really be?

Keep in mind, your parents are SO excited to have you home.

The company you provide for them means more to them than you know. If your mom asks you to take the trash out, wash the dishes, or do your own laundry, just do it. You'd be doing that anyway if you lived on your own... she's not asking that much. Maybe even do those common household chores WITHOUT having to be asked.

It will earn you some bonus points with the 'rents, and maybe they'll be more lenient when it comes to you having friends over or staying out late on a Saturday in the city with your friends.

It's a big change for them too.

Just as you have gotten used to being on your own while you were away at college, your parents also got used to not having you around. They have one more mouth to feed, one more load of laundry to do, and a lot more ruckus around the house if you're anything like my sisters and I are.

I know my parents are happy to have us home, but I know it is just as overwhelming for them as it is for us college students. Bear with them and don't expect them to do everything for you like they used to. Remember, we're adults now, right? We can take care of ourselves!

A situation like this is all about compromise and it's something that everyone has to do at some point in their lives.

Not many people have the luxury of never having to move back in with their parents, and that is okay! It has its perks for sure: a little extra TLC from mom and dad, home-cooked meals, your favorite bed that you've had forever, and all of the memories made in your hometown growing up.

It's a situation to take advantage of since one day, soon enough, you'll be out living on your own and you'll wish you could move back in with your parents.

Take advantage of the opportunity while you have it and make the best of it. It could be the best summer of your life, you never know.