College is full of many experiences but one of the most enriching and frustrating ones is having an intelligent conversation with one's parents. Conversations don’t always have to be profound, but a deep chat affirming your adulthood (and justifying all the tuition money) can be very fulfilling.

I recently found myself in such a situation, forced to question and prove all those cliché, radical college thoughts and ideas. Not only that but I had to relay my ideas to someone I actually care to make an impression on.

Perhaps going head-to-head and challenging the wisdom of someone you looked up to for years is affirming of the work you’ve put in to learning. Maybe checking your own wisdom against another’s of at least an equal level solidifies your own. Either way, one leaves rather content and/or frustrated (maybe a diploma alleviates that part), but always somewhat better off.

I am fortunate enough to have parents who have been rather forward and (I’d like to think) raised me alright. I’m not forced to squirm through sex talks, I hardly ever get condescending talking to’s about my actions and expenditures (anymore) and I fortunately have gotten over the “maybe you should take a semester off and realize why college is important.” Thanks Mom and Dad.

So I highly recommend you call up ma and pa sometime soon. Have a nice little chat with them and prove that college is doing you some good.

Oh, and don’t forget to ask for some more money while you’ve got them on the phone, you know you’ll be needing to buy a bottle for that midterm blow-out coming up.