Saturday, December 17, 2005
This pic from Saturday's NY Times pretty much sums up the reality millions of parents face when the kids come home from college: CHAOS. These big lanky things (e.g. the son) are suddenly at your doorstep after having spent a semester whooping it up till the dawn's early light. Better said they have turned into a species ignorant of the concept of day (one is awake) and night (you go to sleep).
Accompanying them through the door are piles of dirty laundry in tow and cell phones already a-buzz with nocturnal, beer-drenched plans i.e. "Yo, whuz up man?" Then come the milk jugs left on the kitchen counter, caked cereal bowls like stepping stones all over the house, bathrooms in a perpetual state of dampness, and TV's and music set at decibels the hard of hearing would appreciate.
Also through the door come the college kids who never bring dirty laundry (albeit the cell phone is ditto a-buz with plans) but rather a different kind of baggage i.e. the daughter and a suitcase-full of stress and exhaustion from pushing herself so hard at school. Her adrenaline dissipates as the quiet days at home stretch out into weeks; those days give her time to reflect and process which is another way of saying she can be awfully moody... In the meantime the kitchen turns into a Health Nutrition Center with sections of the fridge roped off with special yogurts and vegetables designated just for her. And woe is the stupid brother or clueless father who inadvertently ventures into her territory.
As a mother was quoted in the NY Times on having children home for the holidays, "It's always nice when they come home. And it's always nice when the leave."
Comments:
Post a Comment
