Tips for the Family:

Here is a list of comments that student leaders wish their parents had known before they started their first term of college.

I wish my parents had known . . .

• . . .although I am an adult, I am still very much in need of their support.
• . . .how to "let go" without completely cutting off. The adjustment was hard for all of us, including my younger brother, so it was awkward there for a while.
• . . .that visits are great because we get to show you our new friends, interests, and lives. It is also nice to know that you are coming before hand because we will need to clean up.
• . . .that care packages are great, but they are even better when you include enough goodies to share.
• . . . that practical things are better than cute things because we have limited space and small budgets. The little decorative things are cute, but they end up having to be sent back home when the next batch arrives.
• . . .that nothing is more depressing than an empty mailbox, but nothing is more exciting than finding that little "PACKAGE" slip in there. We do check our mailboxes every time we walk past the mailboxes.
• . . .that I got used to living by my own schedule so it was really hard having to adjust back to someone else's rules when I visited home. My parents wanted me to follow the same rules I had when I was in high school and I wanted to follow the rules I had when at school, none! Things were a battle until we finally sat down and talked it out, understanding each other's point of view.
• . . .that calling is great as long as it's not too often, even the most independent students like hearing from their family every once in a while.
• . . .that joining a lot of organizations on campus did not mean I didn't miss home, it just means that I'm really enjoying school.
• . . .that my ideas and experiences are going to change so don't freak out if they seem a little weird at first.
• . . .YES, I do need fourteen T-shirts that say EOU on them!
• . . .email is a nice, safe way to keep in touch because we can write you whenever it is convenient for us, 3:00 AM (you're in bed), and you can write us when it is convenient for you, 9:00 AM (when we're in bed).
• . . .that just because I don't call very often doesn't mean I'm not thinking about you. It just means that I'm enjoying myself at school and staying busy and by the time I remember that today way my day to call, it's 10:00 PM and too late to call the house; but I still love you.
• . . .not knowing my major my freshman year was not as dramatic as we made it out to be because it has changed twice since I started college.
• . . .that adjusting to college was going to be as difficult for them as it was for me. I wish I had known that too.
• . . .to send me a care package within the first three weeks because that was when I really started to miss home.
• . . .that communication is a good thing but it's best when it's in all different forms; letters, phone calls, emails, and packages instead of just one method.
• . . .that they will get frantic phone calls one day and the next everything will be just fine. Some days I just need to vent about all the stress of school, social life, and my new found freedom but all in all everything is just great.