scared about being left at home..

Here's the backstory..Mom and Dad are flying off to Hawaii for a week,leaving me with some of our relatives who are coming to stay with me.
They're leaving on Feb.17,2008.. and returning on Feb.23,2008.
I know my parents will be back by next Saturday(the 23rd)..but they've never before both left at the same time.(I'm 24,in case you're curious..and still living with Mom and Dad.Haven't felt ready to move out yet.) I'm extremely scared and nervous about this. I'm just looking for some comforting words to help me through this first time without Mom and Dad home.
Thanks again..

My parents never really traveled much. The first time I was actually left completely in charge in the house was maybe roughly ten years ago (I was in my mid-30s at the time) when they went to see my mother's godparents. It was for about three or four days. Although I've been home alone many times, even as young as when I was in junior high school, those times were only for the day. It did feel kind of strange at first but at least I had the cats to keep me company. Funny thing was the boiler quit a day after they left and I didn't want to be bothered calling the repairman. I just used electric heaters in whatever room I was in.

BTW, no reason to leave your parents until you're ready. My sister moved out at 24, my younger brother at around 29. I never moved out. My dad died almost two years ago so it's just me and mom now. I really wouldn't want to live by myself, and couldn't afford it anyway. One downside to living alone is if you don't do something, it doesn't get done. With two people if one person doesn't feel like shopping or cooking, the other can. Anyway, it probably feels strange not having your parents this week but remember it's thankfully only temporary. Enjoy them while they're around for the time will come when they'll go and never come back. My dad's never coming home again. That still seems strange to me.

One thing I do remember when my parents came home was that I was actually happy to see them. Normally I considered both of them to be pains in the neck, my dad more so, but after a few days without them it was like a part of me was missing. I guess the old saying absence makes the heart grow fonder is really true.

AMD64Blondie said:

Here's the backstory..Mom and Dad are flying off to Hawaii for a week,leaving me with some of our relatives who are coming to stay with me.
They're leaving on Feb.17,2008.. and returning on Feb.23,2008.
I know my parents will be back by next Saturday(the 23rd)..but they've never before both left at the same time.(I'm 24,in case you're curious..and still living with Mom and Dad.Haven't felt ready to move out yet.) I'm extremely scared and nervous about this. I'm just looking for some comforting words to help me through this first time without Mom and Dad home.
Thanks again..

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What's the worst that's gona happen? You are just afraid of the idea of being alone at home. Which after they leave you'll find out is really nothing to be scared of.

go ride a bike and get negative thoughts off your mind

270winchester said:

go [do something] and get negative thoughts off your mind

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Excellent advice. Go and spec yourself a high powered incan for fun.

I am really trying to be funny here, work with me:

I think I was 16 when I was first left home alone for a weekend. I grew up in a rural enviroment as well. I didn't drink or smoke, all of my freinds were geeks, in the nicest way, that didn't drink or smoke, and their idea of a wild time was staying up till three playing D&D until the caffine and sugar finally wore off.
My parents knew I ws having a party, and knew who was coming. All was fine and good, but the neighbors kept calling, and I mean calling all the time!! "Can I talk to you're mom?" "Do you're parent know you are having a party?" jeez.... this went on and on!!! We wound it up at 10:30 as planned, and boy did my mom get an earful when she came back!!! I was standing there when all of this happened. My mom was less than happy about it with her, and laughed with me about it latter!!
Most younger folk would LOVE to have the house alone!!! P A R T Y!!!!!!!!
You show great responsibility that the thought hasn't even come up!!
Have a slumber party? Have a freind stay one night, and another another night? Spend another night with another freind?
Cuddle with you're flashlights?
I mean at 24, I could have thought of all kinds of crazy things to do!!

I'm in a similar situation, though a few years younger. My parents have been on vacations together for two weeks or more at a time, and we don't have any relatives close by. With your relatives staying with you, you won't have to worry about things like food, garbage, mail and such (that sort of thing piles up pretty fast! ). The best tack I can think of is to keep busy: go out with friends, work on flashlights, exercise, whatever. You might enjoy talking to your parents on the phone if they can be reached there, and I'm sure you'll love hearing about how much fun they're having! If you can't talk to them while they're out, they'll save up all their fun stories for when they get back.

You'll do fine.

Drink, shop, and party!

By which I mean hang around a coffee shop, eye those lights at whatever outdoors store is in your neck of the woods (no, I didn't spend a third of my time in Bass Pro trying to recall which ones worked well on rechargeable 123s...why do you ask?), and maybe chill over some games or movies.

Watch the movie "Risky Business"...

Keep lots of flashlights around in case there's a power failure.

Sasha said:

Watch the movie "Risky Business"...

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I wanted to say that, but thought implication was more fun:naughty:

Set up booby traps in your house like in Home Alone.

"This is my house, and I have to defend it"

I'll update you on Monday,after Mom and Dad have left for the week.
(On second thought,this gives me plenty of time to do evil stuff..like order more lights.Oops-did I just say that?)

Watch it before they leave and then put it to practice!

Sasha said:

Watch the movie "Risky Business"...

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Actually I think it's cool that some of you can get along with your parent's that well to live with them well past the teen years. I loved my parent's but we got along much better after I moved out.

I joined the Army just so I could not only get out of their house but out of that town!

Hmmmm. Is this normal in america? I don't mean living at home at the age of 24, but never having been away from both of your parents at the same time for 24 years? oo: Have you ever had a girlfriend?

If you think you hear someone in the garage with a chainsaw don't go look. That's always a mistake.

OK, seriously...

Plan and execute one or two projects for home or auto maintenance. Fix a loose or squeaky hinge. Re-paper the inside of the kitchen cabinets. Paint your room. Trim the exterior foliage. Wash and or detail the cars. Purchase an inexpensive vase and pick up some flowers for it Saturday morning. Buy yourself a nice shirt. Maybe get a fresh trim. Do a little grocery shopping then plan and prepare an evening meal for the day they arrive or maybe breakfast Sunday morning.

Most people will greatly appreciate any improvement in the home upon their return from a trip. To know that the home fires had been kept burning gives folks a feeling of well being.

This is the time where you can do what you like where you can't whilst they are around. Do you have access to the vehicle? Did they leave behind any funds? Sit down and plan some things to do, then do it......keeping yourself busy takes the time away faster.

Perhaps this is an opportunity to start making the transition to being on your own. Do you have a plan for being independent at some time? Job? School? Military (like Sasha said...), Peace Corps, Summer Counselor for camp somewhere? Anything?

Take this as an opportunity to think some of those through because sooner or later, you'll want to be independent, and letting years pass by before you act on that is a waste of your most, most precious resource: time.

Best wishes to you.

mighty82 said:

Hmmmm. Is this normal in america? I don't mean living at home at the age of 24, but never having been away from both of your parents at the same time for 24 years? oo: Have you ever had a girlfriend?

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its not typical but it happens.

at the age of 24 there has to be something you can do to occupy your time right? i remember the first time i had the house alone to myself for a week, i was 16 i think the parents were gone to hawaii for a doctors conference of some sort, i was given a "food allowance" and basically invited everyone i knew over and we just hung out for the week and ran up a rather large pay-per-view bill.
or you could just prepare for the Zombie invasion. Z.E.D.U.