Personally, summer is not my favorite time of year. Most of it has to do with the fact that I live at home. But at the same time, I enjoy my summers at home.

For starters, it is hard to integrate back into your family's routine and dynamic when you come home. My family can be chaotic at times. I've got three younger sisters who are all maturing so, you know, they aren't always able to keep their tempers in check. Also, my parents' rules about going out are back in place. This is hard for me because I have complete freedom at school. Many time,s my parents and I butt-heads about the rules I should follow since I think they should be more chill since I am older while they think I should just follow the rules because I have been told to. On top of that, they don't like when I sleep in every day or just watch TV all day.

I often think: what else am I supposed to do during the summer? It's my time to relax before going back to the stress of school. They don't see it that way. They think all my free time should be used doing something productive, like cleaning my room. I'm not the only college student with this issue. Many of my friends go through similar things with their families and being able to find a balance between relaxing and getting things done.

Another hard part of living at home for the summer is not being able to see your friends from college. I miss all my college friends and my boyfriend so much. Luckily, I do have a few that live in my hometown that I get to see but, with the rest, I'm out of luck.

That brings me to one of the joys of being home: seeing high school friends that you don't get to see much during the school year. Also, despite my family getting on my nerves, I do enjoy spending time with them. Both sets of my grandparents, aunts, and uncles live in my hometown, so I get to see them a lot too. I am fortunate to work while I'm home, where I only have a job during the school year.

And, of course, the best thing about being home for the summer is not worrying about school, eating my mom's cooking, and taking a break from being an adult — even if it's just for a bit.

So, although there are pros and cons of living at home for the summer, I try to enjoy it because I will be out on my own soon, and I'm sure I will miss being able to spend the summer at home. Next summer, I hope to get an internship, so this may be my last summer break at home. Although it's bittersweet, I am grateful that I have family and friends to come home to.