Continue living with mum or not?

SingleSue

moneypanicker wrote: »

I guess it ultimately comes down to money - but personally i do not think you get the same experience if you live at home.

Going to university is not just about gaining an education it's about learning to grow up and be independent. You have to learn to budget (or not!) cook and experience living with other people other than family.

There were a few people on my course who lived at home and they missed out on a lot. They did not always go out with the rest of us and certainly missed out on spontaneous nights out - when they did come out they had to work out how to get home etc.

I doubt i'll be in a great financial position to help my kids when they go to university but i will be encouraging them to live away from home - not to get rid of them but to me that is what university life is about.

I learnt how to do all that without actually going to university..in fact I moved out when I was 16 for a short while (6 months or so) and then for the final time a week after my 18th.

I think it helped that I had been (by my own decision) independent for many years prior to that - I had insisted on not having pocket money from the age of 11 when I started a paper round, was buying my own clothes and school uniform by the age of 13 from the proceeds of my part time jobs, cooked my own meals and did my own washing from around that time too...looking back, it must have broken my parents hearts at just how fiercely independent I was and how little I wanted their help.

As for the point of missing out if you stayed at home whilst at Uni, my son has suggested going to the local uni so he could stay at home and save money...I have suggested he would miss out on so much if he did so for all the reasons given...the whole uni life.

Wouldn't stop me worrying though! :rotfl:

Mojisola

TheEffect wrote: »

I'm on a gap year (I'm 18) and off to my local university in September 2010 (hopefully). I have a few reasons for going to my local university, including being allowed to work around my university hours with my current job, and having a disability meaning I can't drive and therefore will be harder to travel etc.

However, even though I love 5 minutes bus journey from the local university, I'm still thinking of living in at the university, which is £90 a week. I've got mixed comments on this. My mother thinks it's stupid and I should stay living with her, saving the £90 a week, however I feel it will help me grow up a little and give me some independence, living on my own, even if it is 5 minutes from my mums house.

Is it a good/bad idea?

This is why I think it would be a good idea for at least one year - because you feel it will help you.

After a year, you could probably move back home and retain your independence because that time would have allowed your Mum and yourself to separate a bit. Is she more anxious about you because of your disability?