I’m going to miss home. That’s a fact. I’m especially going to miss my dog. Though of course I’m going to miss my parents and the familiarity of home. But I really want to make the most of every day I have to spend with them. Anyone have any ideas how?
Spend time with your family and friends rather than with your electronic screens! Help out your parents around the house. Take lots of photos.
Make and eat dinner together. Keep a journal. Play with your dog a lot. Have your friends come over for a movie night. Tell them how much you appreciate them. Limit your time on your phone to communicating with people you know and not just endless scrolling.
as the others are saying, focus on the things that are specific and unique to home- and enjoy them. Apply the same process when you get to college: focus on the things that are specific to college: the friends you have there, the activities that you can do there, the classes that you really enjoy, etc.
And in both cases, focus on them not in a ‘soon I won’t have this’ way- but realistically. You love your life at home, but unless you are a unicorn, your every day life has both high and low points. Not every moment is sunshine. That will be true of your new life at college: there will be sunshine and rain. Be honest about both!
From a parent-
Invite your parents, and if you have siblings, them as well, to do things with you. It doesn’t have to be anything major-a walk around the block, a TV movie, a bowl of ice cream at the kitchen table. Sometimes parents, in an effort to give their kids space, don’t want to interfere in their kids’ lives. The result can be that kids don’t feel like their parents care all that much about connecting with them when in reality it’s the parents’ most fervent wish. Ask your parents what college was like for them. You may hear some great stories!
Also, as next year approaches, especially over the summer, you may find your parents’ rules starting to chafe. Take it easy on poor old Mom and Dad. Like you they’ll be struggling with your imminent departure and the new roles you’ll all be occupying come fall. It takes some time to adjust to the idea that you are becoming a fully independent adult.
Make "dates’ with family members. Play a game, go for a walk, see a movie, clean your room (your parents will love this), even watch a tv show with them. Its okay if you want to go out with your friends, but also schedule time with family
Remind yourself that you going away to college doesn’t equate a permanent move. Your family will still be there. You will still be living at home much of the time for the foreseeable future. You will have all the comforts of home when you are there, and when you are at college you will eventually have new friends, activities and classes that make up a new addition to your life. College is a bonus to what you already have.