Listen to your mother....Stay at home.

So a little bit about me, if you had read my post earlier about my first year in college, I explained a little bit about how I live 5 minutes away from UMass Boston in Harbor Point apartments. I have lived there since I was six years old and I actually live with my mother.

Living with your mother has its ups and downs. Privacy is one thing. Doing what you want is another. But on a good note, living with your mother can be very cost efficient.

I recently read a blog post named "8 Reasons Why It's Better To Stay At Home For College" by Ryan Taulbee to re-familiarize myself on why I decided to stay home during college. I already knew that staying home meant free groceries; meaning free breakfast, lunch, and dinner, free utilities, and free cable. It also means peace of mind by living with someone from the first day of my natural born life.

Despite living five minutes from campus, living at home is great. I am able to save money for things I want, like clothes or trips. I don't have to overwork myself with hours to afford school or rent. I get home-cooked meals everyday. To top all of that off, I get my own personal alarm system every morning!

Look at living at home to be a learning experience. It can give more time to learn about having your own place if you're able to establish responsibility. There are also ways of gaining skills on being a housemate by being kind and generous. Ask your parent or guardian how you can help them out with things. Maybe do more chores than you're used to, or do all them to repay your parents or guardians. Give them money every week or every month. I give my mom $200 every month and even though its not much she still appreciates it. Buy groceries for once. Help out with making dinner. Make sure you're being considerate towards whomever you're sharing your home with. These are skills you will have to learn once you find your own place.

Despite all the things my mother does for me in her home and how I try to repay her back, there are deeper blessings than what we do for each other. I think what I enjoy the most about living at home is being able to spend time with her. I'm never really lonely. I have someone who understands me more than anybody. We can just watch TV shows and films like a normal family and talk about things. Above all, since college can be so stressful, having someone to motivate you each day is very encouraging because they truly want you to do well. You can't always get that with roommates. I think once the time comes for me to move out I can be a better roommate and a better person. There are probably so many more benefits, but Taulbee was able to break some of these down and its worth the read https://www.theodysseyonline.com/8-reasons-stay-home-college