Leslie writes:

I’ve been on vacation in Barbados since January 6th! Sure, my friend and I have missed a good week of school or so, but with constant classes, volunteering, and employment, we need a break, and we just so happen to like the sun.

Leslie, you have a Facebook account, right? Of course you do, you’re a youngster; youngsters love to use Facebook and the Internet. If you’ve been paying attention to the status updates of your acquaintances at other universities – assuming that you have acquaintances at other universities – you’ll have noticed a lot of complaining about the first week of classes.

Now, the average University of Waterloo student will scoff at that! “Oh, we’ve already been in class for a week, suck it up!” But you? That probably doesn’t apply to you, because of that vacation thing of yours. But since you’re on vacation, you probably don’t care about school right now, and I think I initially had a point I was trying to make except what the heck are you doing don’t you have school or priorities I am so confused by your course of action seriously what the heck is going on with your life.

I don’t know about the rest of you, but there’s a little part of me that is full of strange mothering instincts. These strange mothering instincts tell me that it is okay to lash out at people with bold font and zero punctuation, but not okay to go take a vacation in Barbados at the beginning of the semester. I highly doubt we live in a post-apocalyptic Children of Men-esque society in which I am the only one with mothering tendencies, so I am reasonably certain some of you are also a tad confused.

And yet, it is because of these strange mothering instincts that I must wholeheartedly congratulate you, Leslie! Many people follow the words of others religiously, be it their parents, their extended family, their friends, or anyone else. You are an exception to this case, what with your trip to Barbados and all.

In spite of whatever commitments you might need to attend to, you decided that a trip to Barbados was what you wanted, and you went for it. This ability to make crucial decisions for yourself is laudable. You’re growing up, Leslie! While your body might not be going through changes like the last time you were “growing up”, you’re learning to do more with what you have by your own accord!

Just because you haven’t overthrown the pre-existing Barbadian government and ascended to the throne of the New Barbadian Empire, doesn’t mean your trip isn’t worth a high five. Making a massive decision like this sets a precedent for you. When a difficult situation comes knocking, you won’t have to run away from it or defer it to someone else. You’ll stand up, and you’ll be able to make that tough call, because you’re a big girl now!

How often are people able to make decisions like these? Opting to go on vacation at the beginning of the term is daunting. Many of us have difficulty with simpler decisions, like what to eat for breakfast, what to wear to class, or whether or not to re-read last week’s You Are Superfantastic! column for the sixteenth time. In fact, many of us probably don’t even realize we’re pretty much all adults here, and we can do as we please. First year or fourth, we’re all at that stage of life where we don’t need our parents to hold our hand (though it is pretty awesome).

Congratulations, Leslie! You’re old enough to do what you want. You’re all grown up, and you don’t have to bend to every whim of someone else. I’m sure you’re aware of the consequences of going on vacation at the beginning of term, and I’m sure you’ve made preparations to compensate for those missed classes. You understand the weight of your actions, and you know how to react to it.

To paraphrase a line from xkcd, hey why does that Irresponsibly Optimistic comic look just like us you’re an adult now, and it’s your turn to decide what that means, and what you’re going to do about it.

You Are Superfantastic! is a column about you! Specifically, it’s about congratulating you! If you’ve done anything you think is worth getting congratulated for – acing a test, making friends, not being dead, so on and so forth – send it over to rchui@imprint.uwaterloo.ca or hit up youaresuperfantastic.com and you just might get congratulated!