2008 Woodie Awards
Better get ready for the real world
Mom and Dad love you...but they're not going with you
Donald Bunce
Issue date: 3/8/07 Section: Opinion
On March 1, I sat in the Student Lounge on the East Campus, eating goodies provided by Fresno State, grabbing various souvenirs, and watching a presentation conducted by some of their personnel. They covered different things such as housing (how to get it), financial aid (how to get it and keep it) and how to actually get into the college in the first place. Then they broke into groups and took individual questions.
As I stood there waiting to ask my question (and they were very helpful, mind you), I noticed something that disturbed me. Most of the kids hoping to get into Fresno State weren't the ones asking the questions. They were standing next to their parents, as the adults peppered the counselors with inquiries about everything from sports to vegetarian meals.
Very rarely did I see a student ask a question. And in my paranoid mind, this is just begging for trouble.
You see, Mom and Dad will probably not be going with their son or daughter-and most kids (I'd say 99%...correct me if I'm wrong) have no problem leaving their parents behind. In fact, they're looking forward to it…visions of alcohol and possible hook-ups dancing in their heads. It's like that old poem, "Twas' the Night before Christmas"-but much more twisted. As a matter of fact, when they flashed the demographics of the college on the board (and women are definitely in the majority at Fresno State), I think the high school kid in front of me was actually drooling.
There's just one minor little quirk in this whole deal. At some point, you actually have to do some schoolwork. At another point, you'll also have to do the boring things like laundry that you've ignored. And none of this will matter if you don't have a clue how to do them.
All of that stuff you do around your own house that your parents put up with…that's gonna be gone. In their place is going to be some person who gets paid to make sure you don't screw up your dorm room-and they're not going to be as lenient about your habits as the people who raised you. No longer will you have your mom to do the laundry that you forgot about because you had that important "event" you just had to go to on Friday night. If you're out of clean clothes, you're stuck. Live with it.
As I stood there waiting to ask my question (and they were very helpful, mind you), I noticed something that disturbed me. Most of the kids hoping to get into Fresno State weren't the ones asking the questions. They were standing next to their parents, as the adults peppered the counselors with inquiries about everything from sports to vegetarian meals.
Very rarely did I see a student ask a question. And in my paranoid mind, this is just begging for trouble.
You see, Mom and Dad will probably not be going with their son or daughter-and most kids (I'd say 99%...correct me if I'm wrong) have no problem leaving their parents behind. In fact, they're looking forward to it…visions of alcohol and possible hook-ups dancing in their heads. It's like that old poem, "Twas' the Night before Christmas"-but much more twisted. As a matter of fact, when they flashed the demographics of the college on the board (and women are definitely in the majority at Fresno State), I think the high school kid in front of me was actually drooling.
There's just one minor little quirk in this whole deal. At some point, you actually have to do some schoolwork. At another point, you'll also have to do the boring things like laundry that you've ignored. And none of this will matter if you don't have a clue how to do them.
All of that stuff you do around your own house that your parents put up with…that's gonna be gone. In their place is going to be some person who gets paid to make sure you don't screw up your dorm room-and they're not going to be as lenient about your habits as the people who raised you. No longer will you have your mom to do the laundry that you forgot about because you had that important "event" you just had to go to on Friday night. If you're out of clean clothes, you're stuck. Live with it.