Sometimes You Just Need Your Momma

I’ve mentioned before that when going off to college I couldn’t wait to be off on my own. I couldn’t wait for the freedom to go where I wanted, whenever I wanted and not have to explain myself to anyone. That part was great. But as Spider-Man’s Uncle Ben said, “With great freedom, comes great responsibility.” Taking care of yourself is not an easy task. Being at college I learned that my mom is a saint, and there are so many things she did for me that I simply never realized. Here are some of the biggest things I struggled with. 

Buying toilet paper

Such a simple task, by far my biggest struggle. At home, my mom buys the huge Costco variety packs of toilet paper that lasts for 6 years (or so it seemed). At my apartment, my roommates and I were broke and always fighting over whose turn it was to buy the next pack of TP. Naturally we were always out; you don’t know struggle until your taking napkins from Chipotle cause no one wants to buy the next pack of toilet paper. 

Natural disasters

Within my first week of college there was an earthquake and a hurricane. I lived on the 21st floor and I felt like I could literally feel my building sway with each gust of wind. There was no electricity or running water and we had to fill up the bathtub with water so we were able to flush the toilet. As soon as CBS news said that people who live in high rises should stay away from windows and lower Manhattan was covered in two feet of water, I was on the next bus home that weekend. Momma would know what to do. 

Homework help

I probably should have stopped this practice around third grade, but up until my senior year of high school, if I asked, my parents helped me with my homework. My mom is a nurse and always helped me study for my science tests and my dad always helped me edit my papers. This process became exponentially more difficult when they weren’t sitting across from me at the dining room table every night. 

Chores

I had to do chores when I lived at home but for the most part my mom kept the house clean and cooked the meals. When I got to college, I had two of the messiest roommates I had ever met, they were simply incapable of rinsing off a plate, and putting it in the dishwasher. The dishes would pile up in the sink until I finally got so grossed out that I did them. My mom also had dinner ready for me when I got home from work. No such luck in college;

 my roommates idea of cooking was cereal and soup. Yummm. 

Someone to take care of you when you’re sick

I’m not sure if it was my horrible sleep schedule, unhealthy diet, or suddenly living in the same apartment with two strangers with new germs but I was sick all the time freshman year. It took me a longer time to get better because I am incapable of buying cold medicine, let alone taking it when I’m supposed to. I also don’t like to get out of bed when I’m sick so there was no one to make me soup or tea. I just needed my mom!