All college students are guilty of calling their family when they are in “crisis mode”. This means calling when they’re sick, overly stressed, frantic, or an emotional mess. I also like to call these “comfort calls”, since we call with the intention to get comfort and support from our families. It is healthy to have these calls, as long as they come in moderation. These can take a toll on the person receiving the call causing them to worry about you. However, it does also make them feel needed and gives them comfort in knowing their child will still reach out to them.
Another phone call is the “Yay Me!” call. This is when you call your family to celebrate good news. Whether its getting a good grade on a test, landing a job or having a great workout, these calls focus around sharing wonderful things happening in your life with your loved ones. There is absolutely nothing wrong with these calls. In fact, most families are overjoyed to hear their student is doing great things while at college. After telling her good news, I’ve had my mom say that, “I really needed to hear that, I’ve been having pretty terrible day.” It surprised me how much of an influence my day could have on hers. It really can bring a ray of sunshine into a perhaps cloudy day for your family member.
There’s one last call that, though rare, occurs occasionally. That is the “just because” call. It’s really pretty simple. You pick up the phone and dial a family member with the intent to engage in everyday conversation. Easy. You’re not calling to calm fears, to complain about a sickness or to ask for help with something, instead you are calling to chat about life. I try really hard to set aside time to call my parents to just see how they are doing. Perhaps this is because I am a frequent offender of “comfort calls” and I feel like they deserve time where they are the focus. Regardless, I think it’s an important habit to get into. Families deserve just as much support as they give us because whether or not you believe it, they probably miss you at least a little bit.
So basically, Bears: CALL YOUR FAMILY. Remember, any type of call is nice, but an unexpected call to just chat is even nicer.
~Zoë