"Call me, beep me if ya wanna reach me. When ya wanna page me, it’s okay,” goes the Kim Possible theme song. If your parents are stuck in the early 2000s, they may agree. Chances are, though, you keep in contact with your parents through other means. In fact, 40 percent of college students report using some form of technology to contact their parents at least once a day, according to a study published in the book Generation on a Tightrope. Though the phone call home is still the go-to for longer conversations, many students also talk to their parents through texts, emails and WhatsApp. Maybe Kim should update her song.
Allie Baxter, Weinberg sophomore
“I usually talk about what’s happening at home, what’s happening here with classes, friends, internships for the summer, future, what they’re planning on doing, if they’re planning on visiting me and whatever they have going on at home.”
Jack Blackstone, Medill freshman
“I call my mom and we talk about anything. My parents aren’t strict, so I can be straight-up with them on all levels except probably girls.”
Ed Roberge, SESP senior
“In the first few years, or rather, in the first year, I think I was trying to create distance between my parents and me .... When you get older, you have bigger life events to talk about, [like] career stuff, finding an apartment. Normally when I call them I’ll share an update about that, but the rest is just catching up with them.”
Parth Dalal, Weinberg junior
“I text home to my parents every day. It’s not a formal thing, but my parents and I are always going back and forth, sending funny videos, or talking about work and school. It’s a constant conversation.
“My mom and dad are always more concerned about my well-being than they need to be. I’ll tell them something – I’m not feeling well, or I’m feeling nauseous – and they think I’m dying. But I’m not – they’re just a plane ride away from me. They manage me from far away, and they’re overcautious about stuff. My mom will say, ‘Are you sure you’re fine?’ – ‘Yeah, I’m fine, Mom.’”
