Help Out

As excited as I know you are for college to start, your parents probably are not - despite what they may do or say. Often your parents can be rude or up-tight at this time, even if they weren't so much previously, because they're anxious because they don't want to see you go and just want to hold onto you for a little bit longer.

I know. It's annoying. But they're your parents. It's likely that they truly can still remember when you were in diapers and you had to completely depend on them for every little thing. It's hard for many parents to just let that go - to let you go.

So here's what I suggest:

Let them be involved in what you're doing throughout the year - let them go with you to things that you wouldn't normally ask them to go to (I'm not saying take your mother to an orgy, I'm saying ask her to a movie or to go shopping for an afternoon). It will help the sting of your leaving just a little bit. There will definitely still be fighting throughout the time leading up to move-in day, but do what you can to avoid conflict.

Additionally, when shopping for college stuff (bedding, desk necessities, wall decoration, etc.), help your parents out. Don't go shopping for everything in one sitting. You could potentially be spending hundreds of dollars on your bedroom alone. As nice as it would be to just dedicate one day (or even a weekend) to just checking every last thing off your list, but the likelihood of your parents liking that or even being able to pay for that is low. It also happens to be more fun to go out multiple times.

If you or someone you know (family member, friend, dog) is creative in any way, ask them to make something for you to hang up in your dorm room. I've seen many DIY Canvas Posters (such as the one linked) on Pinterest that come with easy tutorials. When it comes to wall décor, it is easiest to DIY-it rather than go hunting for something that may not even exist because it's just sitting in your imagination.

Also, if you have the ability, don't be afraid to go out on your own to buy some college items. On the last haul I did (and the next one that I've been procrastinating on), I've bought every single item except my minifridge and microwave (both my brother's previously), my bedding (which will be in the next haul), and my tabletop ironing board and iron (again, will be in the next haul and the iron was my mom's).

Which brings us to the final two points - if there's anything (appliances, baskets, etc.) that they don't want anymore or that they'd rather have the updated version of, you can always take their. There's no pain in sharing or taking hand-me-downs. You will not be the laughing stalk of the dorm hall just because your toaster was bought in the 80's (as long as it still works and isn't a fire hazard). And finally, as I'm sure I've noted before, SHARE WITH YOUR ROOMMATE! It makes more sense when you're living in a mouse hole.