Upon graduating last May, I was horrified to realize that my plan to stay in Philadelphia was not working out.  I had been captured by the brotherly love and artsy diversity in a medium-populated setting, and for the first time in my life my plans were not leaving me fulfilled.  Needless to say I was shocked when during a miserable phone call my parents suggested that I come home and live with them.

Now, dear reader, before you balk at the desperation of the situation and immediately transfer me to the basement in perpetual sweats with World of Warcraft, allow me to enlighten you on some of the oft-neglected pros of living at home.

I was once like you.  When I was young I imagined that graduating college would catapult me into the real world on my own without so much as a glance backward.  I could not fathom that I would ever want to (much less would my parents want me to) return to Anchorage after being exposed to such cultured and diverse cities.  Once I realized, however, that my parents genuinely wanted me to come back, I did not think twice about booking a ticket.

I am here today to tell you that the nightmarish tales are lies.  Living at home for the past year has allowed me to save money, financial security that will allow me freedom in wherever I choose to go next.  It has made me appreciate the place that I fought so hard to get away from, the value of having friends and family around, and most importantly, it has brought me closer to my parents.  I grew up across the country from them and they are now becoming acquainted with the adult that I have become.  The shift in relationship is different but it is something that I would have missed had I stayed away, and it is by far the most rewarding revenue of this entire experience- besides my mother’s amazing meatloaf.

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