I was a wreck before my first day as an official University of Idaho student.
It wasn”t that I was hesitant about being a part of the Vandal community. In fact, upon arriving in Moscow for the first time I was pleasantly surprised at how warm and welcoming everyone seemed to be.
Erin Bamer
Argonaut
No, I was such a mess because before that point the longest amount of time I”d spent away from my family was two weeks. In short, I wasn”t looking forward to the prospect of moving away for good.
Three months of separation from the people I had literally spent my whole life with was enough to push me to my breaking point. There was part of me that considered if college was worth it at all. Maybe I should have just pursued a career near home with my high school diploma, I thought.
Fortunately, I was smart enough not to do that, and after a month I started adjusting – but it still wasn”t easy. My parents are some of my best friends and those three months between the start of term and Thanksgiving Break felt like a lot longer than 90 days.
I”ve always been close to both my parents. My dad is the one I go to if I want to do something crazy or go on an adventure. My mom is the person I tell everything to. Both of them are the first numbers I call when I have big news or need advice.
Being the oldest child has affected my relationship to my parents. Mothers and fathers don”t really know what kind of parents they”re going to be until they have a child to take care of. So, all of the milestones I hit were also firsts for them, and going off to college was included in that.
Having such a tight bond with my family is great, because it means when I”m with them I don”t take a second for granted. But it also makes the time away a little harder, like those first three months of my first year. As I get further into my education and come closer to graduation, I”ve been realizing how much less time I”ll get with my family.
At the end of my first year I was able to spend the entire summer with my family, because my internship was just a 30-minute commute from home. It felt like nothing had changed and it was awesome.
Then, the next summer I spent in Moscow. I spent significantly less time in Boise with my family, but I was still able to drive down about every other week to spend a few days with them.
This summer I”ll spend even less time with them. Although I”m excited about what I plan to do, the experience came with the harsh realization that as I get older the time I have to see my family will become even more limited.
After I graduate I won”t have scheduled weeks for vacations or months in the summer when I can just hang out with my parents or sisters. Unless I live near them, and I have no idea if I will or not at this point, I won”t be able to see them much at all, and that makes me really sad.
The message is this – students should spend time with their families when they can. Their family will appreciate it, and they will appreciate it too, even more so when there comes a time when they can”t see them as often.
Moms” Weekend is a great opportunity for some needed family time. If you have a mom, or any family coming to Moscow this weekend, make the most of the time you have with them.
Erin Bamer can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @ErinBamer