by Bobby Coles

Created on: July 30, 2009   Last Updated: May 07, 2012

Today's technology has rendered it almost impossible to not be able to stay connected, or to stay in touch with loved ones. There are simply no excuses for not keeping in close contact with your parents simply because you have gone off to college. Flex your independence all that you want, but remember your roots. It does not matter where you are going if you don't remember where you came from.

Your parents deserve to be kept in the loop in spite of your newly formed independence. The loop does not need to be tightened or relaxed, it merely needs to remain the same. There is no reason to change the rules and the communication lines with your parents just because you are in college. All of the same courtesies should still be applied. If you live at home, and attend a local college, then make sure that you do not merely treat home as a flop house.

You should contribute the same amount, if not more, than you did prior to going to college. Home is not a place to simply lay your head down for a sleep, or a place to ransack the fridge at midnight and pour bulging laundry bags into the washing machine.

Keeping your parents in the loop while becoming more independent involves an aspect of respect. As you gain more independence, your respect for your parents should be growing, once you realize all of the struggles and hardships that they endured so that you could be cloaked in the latest fashions. Your circle should grow as you age and mature, and your parents should also be entering your circle as friends, enlarging the loop.

Independence is fantastic, but with it comes added responsibility and maturity. If these are not present, then the independence is doomed. Keep your parents in the loop by having friends come over to your house prior to going out to the pub, as this will alleviate some of the fears that your parents may have.

Now that you have made it into the college realm, it seems as though you have matured and your responsibility has grown. College has brought you a newfound independence and you seem to appreciate the new role. This does not mean that you should eliminate your parents from the loop. It is of the utmost importance to keep your parents in the loop while you are enjoying your independence.

If you are studying at a local college, or if you have gone away to another city far away to attend college, you still owe your parents the respect of keeping them in the loop. They have spent your entire life raising you, anticipating the day that you would

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