Leaving home

The majority of the halls of residences I've looked at are pretty similar, meaning I can already plan in my mind what I want to take with me. The thought of having so much independence excites me - choosing what to eat and when, sorting out my daily routine and managing my own budget (though I'm not so sure I'll be brilliant about that - shopaholic alert!). Of course, not having the support of my family around me will be hard to begin with, but that's the whole point, right? Learning to do things on my own is really important, and I can't get my mum to make my phone calls for me forever!

I recently read something interesting that surprised me: Some universities have set up sections on their websites specifically for parents. At first glance, this sounds reasonable - maybe some students went to the open days alone and their parents want a little more information about what the university is like. But this doesn't appear to be the case. Parents have posted on these websites comments such as; 'my child has lost their student ID card', 'when does my child need to enrol?' and 'I'm worried about my child contracting a contagious illness', all of which which seem to me a little ridiculous.

Is it the parents or the children who are at fault here? Are these parents too clingy, or are the children really not capable of doing anything for themselves, even when away from home, and if so, whose fault is that?

Either way, I think I'm lucky that my parents expect me to have a certain level of independence, and I am enjoying some of that freedom that we teenagers crave already. While leaving my family will be hard, there are so many exciting challenges and escapades ahead that I can't wait for.