On the same note, I had an amazing childhood, complete with a tree house, being terrorized by the neighborhood dog and epic games of jailbreak and kickball.
The downside of all of this is I have a massive Peter Pan complex. Occasionally, I'll spend random weeknights up until the wee hours, fretting at the prospect of growing up. It's not that I hate responsibility - I've had plenty of serious internships and jobs - I guess I'm just worried that I'll never be that genuinely happy again.
I'm also scared my house is going to stop feeling like home. I didn't appreciate it at the time, but last summer was probably my last 'real' summer of working as few hours as possible, lounging around the house and maximizing time at the beach.
Now that I have an apartment with a year-long lease, I'll probably spend this summer down here, working something similar to a real job (to the tune of 40 hours a week). Next Christmas, I don't expect to be home long, as I'm hoping to study abroad for our January term. The next think you know, I'm graduated and apparently supposed to enter the real world.
I've talked to my mom about this and no matter how many times she says home will always be home, I'm always terrified that that moments' going to come and it'll be a threshold I can never go back from.
You know, it's entirely possible my parents did too good of a job.
Then again, with my luck, I'll probably move back home after graduation and stay there until my late 20s or my parents kill me, whichever happens first.
Think about it this way. Home is what you make it. Your FAMILY is home, not the house. The memories are home.
ReplyDeleteIt's good that you aren't forgetting your roots but it's important to be able to grow. It's a good idea for you to become familiar with the city and get a job here while you're still in school because I found out long ago that DC is a town where WHO you know is important..and the more experience you have while you're in school, the better of a chance you'll have of finding a good job and making your own 'home' here.
Hope I didn't step out of line with my first comment. I just can relate to how you feel :)
oh man..i know how you feel. I have the same peter pan complex. I dread moving forward in life because my childhood was the best part of my life, i just dont see how life could get better. its all down hill now. it sucks...
ReplyDeletethe only thing we can do is just keep on keeping on!
I misunderstood what you mean about home on the 20something group. I can tell you that thus far, the home that I grew up in, still has a calming effect. From the time that I pull up in my old driveway, I feel comfort. But I can tell you that once you move out for good, your new place will eventually feel like home as well. You will feel relaxed once you pull up to your new driveway, but there is nothing like the feeling of pulling up and walking in to the house you group up in.
ReplyDeleteI have not lived with my parents for nearly 8 years. Everytime I go to visit them, it still feels like home.
ReplyDelete