Pace University’s Pleasantville Campus just celebrated its annual Homecoming game, which resulted in a lot of family members on campus. We, the students, began to feel awkward walking around, living our usual and strange lives with an audience.

It is safe to say that we are all breathing a sigh of relief and getting back to normal. Having family, especially little kids walking on the same paths as students, makes swearing or discussing scandals of last weekend a bit problematic.

It has occurred to me that having parents in the residence halls after move-in day can feel a bit like a time-warp. Suddenly, I’m back in my bedroom at home, and I’ve have got some explaining to do.

Tensions might get high when your mom tries to clean up the room, because she just will; she’s your mom. Things get worse if she finds your stash of illegal substances or even worse, condoms. Which will probably result with more phone calls (there is something to look forward too).

Introducing your father to your friends of the opposite sex (maybe a few that you have hooked up with before), who pop into your room unannounced, can quickly create some stress that you really didn’t need.

For me, it feels like when we move into our residence halls at the beginning of college and even at the beginning of each year, we are physically separating ourselves from our families. It is bittersweet, but there is a reason that we have moved out of our parents’ homes.

A huge requirement for most humans is privacy. Even some of my crazier friends who get intoxicated and just rip off their clothes without warning would still like you to shut the door when you leave their room.

We are at the age where we do not want to feel accountable to anyone; we are responsible for ourselves. There is no desire to have to justify our actions to the morality/laundry police known as “Mom” and “Dad.”

When your roommate shows up to dinner drunk as a sailor, it is a little bit harder to convince your family that you have been staying in on weekends and knocking away at those books for the last six weeks.

Another thing about seeing my family for the first time in a while is that I forget how much we hide. I am not necessarily a party girl, or any other negative college stereotype, but there are events that happen that I am just not used to having to explain to anyone.

A floor-mate of mine during my first year here at Pace brought her parents back to her room at the end of a dinner out with the whole family. While talking and laughing with everyone, she pulled out the make-up remover wipes. When she swiped down her neck, the biggest hickey appeared out of nowhere.

It was just a mess that no one was prepared to have to deal with. Even if you are not sexually promiscuous or engaging in anything illegal, uncomfortable situations can still occur.

A hickey, a sweater on the floor, and an inconsistent relationship with the athlete in your math class are all things your roommate would not judge you for.

We get used to this unconditional understanding of each other’s choices and mistakes. There is very little room for judgment when we get naked, drunk, stressed, PMS, sick, etc. in front of each other.

Yet, our families typically have a higher expectation of how we should be spending our time at college.