[Genna007]

My name is Genna Hall and my question is how do you deal with going away at college? I don't know if this is the right question for this topic but I couldn't find another that fit the question. I am so close with my family that I can't seem to accept the fact that I'm growing up and am not a kid anymore. It's hard to imagine doing things without them. I miss them like crazy and I cry everyday. I don't know what to do because I live 3 hours away and they want me to stay at school to get the full experience. Whenever I call them it's like they don't want to talk to me. I think it's because they are trying to make me stronger but it still hurts.

[phillysteakandcheese]

Growing up is a difficult process, and one most of us struggle with well after we're already adults.

Rather than dwelling on "how good" the past has been (your life at home), I would start picturing "how good" your future (at college) can be through becoming independent, making new friends, experiencing life, and getting your education.

Using myself as an example, when I went to university - I moved across the country to a new city where I did not know a single person. At first I was writing a lot of letters home and calling my old friends from high school... but over time I made friends and joined in social activities, and the experiences I had as a college student were some of the happiest in my life.

Your happiest times are ahead of you... Don't hold yourself back out of fear.