COLUMN: Who are our parents?
As kids, we despise chores and will do anything to avoid having to do them. That fight about being asked to unload the dishwasher ends up lasting longer than the actual task would take to complete.
As I've gotten older, and now that I'm a sophomore at CMU, I view my parents differently. When I was younger, sure I respected them and did what was asked of me, but I also saw them as the people with the power. That was true in a sense.
Now, I look at them in a totally different light. Now that I'm an adult, I have a new sense of respect and admiration for them that I did not have before.
My mother and father have truly shown me the power of hard work. They both work their asses off to achieve the things they want. Despite all this, they still make time for their friends and family.
It isn't just their incredible work ethic. I feel like now that I've gotten a little older I can come to them seeking advice on what can often be really complicated issues like classes, jobs and trying to figure out my future. It's difficult to explain.
I no longer see my parents as just my parents. I see them as my friends, but of course not just any ordinary pair of friends.
Another really important idea I've come to realize is that as I'm getting older, so are my parents. This really hit me when a very close family friend passed away earlier this year, and it reminded me just how fragile life is.
This is one thing I want everyone to understand. We as college students often forget this. We become so wrapped up in our social and academic activities we might neglect our parents, even if it's unintentionally.
We need to continue to make time for them. Through all the years of driving us around before we got our licenses, letting just that one more friend sleep over, nights up reading us our favorite children's book over and over and just one more time, and more, they were making time for us.
Life is something many of us take for granted. Offer to take your parents out to dinner. Talk to them about your problems or that one horrible professor.
Chances are they will be able to relate to you. It's a whole new level of understanding, and it's something pretty cool. Cherish it while you can.
