Independence

I feel like monst students that first attend college have the same urgency to start a new life; to be independent and not worry about being told what to do. I can say that I have had this feeling, but maybe not as strong as Dee's. Dee took her independece to the next step by trying to forget about her family. She even went as far as changing her name. I cannot say that I am completely independent, but being in college has definately helped me in becoming more independent.
Ever since I was able to walk I was a sports freak. I played almost every sport possible at our school and even out of school sports. I traveled almost every weekend in the spring for club volleyball tournaments, which is extremely pricy, along with practices and track meets/softball games during the week. Being involved in sports has made me independent in some ways, but it also made me somewhat dependent in my parents. I never had time for a job, except for babysitting whenever I could, so it was hard for me to earn any money. Because of this my parents would always give me money for shopping or for whatever was needed. After a while I began to feel bad for "taking" their money. I wanted to become more independent and help pay for some of the things that I was involved in. Every chance I got from then on to earn money I took. I tried to at least pay for half of what was actually due for each tournament, and if I wanted to attend a certain camp then I would try to pay for as much as I possibly could have.
I felt better knowing that my parents were not having to pay for everything and it has influenced me to really work for the things that I want and to become more independent so I wouldn't have to ask my parents for much.
Now that I am in college I can definately say that I am more independent than I have ever been. I love the college life and the freedom that comes with it, but even though I have become independent, I still love to go home and see my family which makes me different from Dee. Dee did not want much to do with her family and wanted to branch out. As for me, I love my family and I have found a way to become independent and still have my family involved in my life.