Living Away from Home

One of the advantages indicated by young college students is that they develop independence from their family. I recalled when I first lived away from home, tried living off campus and in an apartment, I had to learn how to cook, clean and for the most part take care of myself. For the first time, I learned how to balance my checkbook and pay my bills. I had acquired personal maturity by being responsible. I met new people from various cultural and personal backgrounds. I found all of this during my first year while living in a dormitory and thereafter living in apartments. Although initially I walked on eggshells and felt a bit of trepidation, my anxieties greatly were reduced as I eased into adulthood. During that first year in college, living on my own felt great.

Another advantage to living on your own is having freedom from your parents. As a teenager, I remember having so many constraints placed upon me. After all, I wasn’t yet an adult and was living in my parents’ household. Living on my own, I was able to wake up when I wanted to or come home at late hours of the evening. I did not have to report to anyone and was able to act according to how I felt. Conflicts were obsolete since I had no one to argue with. Power and control were mine; an advantage of living away from home was gaining complete liberty and freedom.

The final advantage to living away from home was having complete privacy. If I wanted to walk around my house naked, I was able to do just that. If I wanted to keep money in a secret hiding place, my private boundaries allowed that. Privacy also existed in my living arrangements. After years of living in an apartment and having a soul mate, we moved in together coexisting in a de facto relationship. Although my parents were against this type of arrangement, our relationship was private and did not involve others.

Overall, living away from home gives young adults privacy, independence, the freedom to nourish them selves and mature into