Everyone hits that point in their life where they are just ready to move on, literally. Parents’ rules seem pointless, you enjoy buying your own meals rather than the usual mom-meal schedule, and you have had the “I am 18 and can legally do whatever I want” argument more than a few times. I am sure this is an accurate depiction of what almost every high school senior is feeling right now because this is exactly how I felt.

Senior year: I had a job (mind you it was working at my local grocery store), spent most of my time with friends, and my parents drove me crazy. Freshman year of college came and went and I found myself thriving on my own. Who doesn’t want to make their own rules? Ice cream for dinner and going out on a Tuesday? Yes, please! Three semesters later, with sophomore year in full swing, I cannot help but notice how much I have changed. This freedom that I longed for, for so long has lost its initial shininess. It has got me thinking maybe Dorothy and her red slippers were right: there is no place quite like home.

Being at a university six hours from home, I usually stick to the holiday schedule for family visits. Twelve hours for two days of “quality family time”? I don’t think so. However, three semesters into college, I find myself missing the family things I often take for granted like my mom and dad making breakfast on Sunday morning with the newspapers strewn across the counter, or my brothers yelling at the TV while they watch football together on the couch. Who knew that the things I saw as normal could become so rare over a year later?

A spontaneous trip home two weeks ago spurred this realization: no matter how long you have been living on your own, your childhood home will always be home. Whether or not this takes away the “independence” I have gained over the last year and a half, I am not quite sure nor do I care. There is truly something special about seeing your family members’ faces early in the morning, sitting alongside them, sipping your coffee. Sure, going out to buy a pizza with your friends at 2 a.m. on a Monday may be fun, but gathering around the kitchen table for family dinner (with much higher quality pizza in tow) never goes out of style.