Hello, again, my Seahawks!

My family is moving at the end of the summer, but since I’m graduating, I’m not sure if I should move with them or not. Does living with my parents make me less of an adult?

ABSOLUTELY NOT. I know of plenty of people that decide to go back to living with their parents after college for a variety of reasons. I know of people that decide to do it for financial reasons; coming out of school you have debt, and in order to save some money while you find a good enough job, you move in with your parents. I know of people that decide to do it simply because they have been away from their family for four years and they miss that. There are so many reasons why one would do it and none of them make you less of an adult. On the contrary, if you really look into it, it makes you more of an adult because if you recognize that it is what is best for you and your situation. You are being responsible in moving with your parents. And what is adulthood if it is not being responsible? At the end of the day, you will have your reasons and those reasons should only matter to you and your family. A caveat though: it will be hard to go back to that living situation when you have been on your own for the past few years. There is a structure when it comes to living with your family, and it will take time to adjust to that once again. No matter how much you love them, living with your family again after being away can be challenging. But in regards to what you were asking, no, living with your parents does not make you less of an adult.

The club I’m president of was low in numbers before school got out, and I’m worried about people not coming back next semester. How do I keep people interested?

Oof. This is a tough one because I have never been president of any club and would not know one thing about that. However, I can speak from the perspective of someone who has been in plenty and in the past, has decided to leave a few because they were not as exciting. In our new reality, I think that the best way to do this is to keep the club’s social media websites updated, interactive and active. Put up funny videos relating to the things the club does, put up polls or challenges or do club highlights—of the events that the club has carried out or of some of the members. It is known that we are a highly interdependent cohort; we strive when we feel connected even if we are not actually physically connected. Social media, although it makes us feel connected, it can sometimes feel impersonal. Therefore, on top of keeping your social media updated, touch base with people that were already involved. Check in on them and how they are doing during this hectic time. That shows you care and showing you care will make them want to come back to ya! These interactions can also prompt them to talk about it with their friends, “Hey, my club’s president just checked in on me. They are so sweet!” Then their friends will ask about the club and that way people get interested. I guess that is all I have for you; I am sorry I was not much help, but I am inexperienced in this area.

These days, I spend my free time looking up recipes and baking things for my family! What should I bake this week? Do you have any fun recipes people in quarantine should try?

Baking is one of my FAVORITE HOBBIES EVER. I just made chocolate chip cookies stuffed with Nutella and…finger licking good. When it comes to fun recipes, my go-to is Pinterest like a 35-year-old mother of three. I know Pinterest is probably not something people our age do, but it is such fun! Besides, we are all locked up. Nobody will see if we are on Pinterest; there is also not much else to do. My sister and I did homemade funnel cakes the other week, too. Those were super easy and so, so, so good. We topped them off with powdered sugar, Nutella and strawberries. Our theme was Disney that night so we were doing desserts you would find at one of the parks. That is another thing you could do to make it more fun: find a theme and make something relating to that. Something else my family and I do is we make it a competition. We look up a recipe that we have never done before with decorations and all, and we see who can recreate it best. Matter of fact, I think I will be applying to be on “Nailed It!” when this is all over. But yes, when it comes to recipes, try Pinterest, the Tasty channel on YouTube or even baking shows you can find on Netflix (I love Zumbo’s Desserts). I will leave a link of recipes from Tasty that look fun to make, though, because I feel I was not helpful at all. Happy baking!

That is all I have for you this week, Seahawks. Do not forget to send me your questions on Instagram @theseahawknews!

xx Sally Seahawk