"Mom, what do you think of Carlo?" I asked as we drove into our neighborhood.

"I like him," I replied with a sigh, running my hands over my knees. But I still hadn't told her about what happened this afternoon. I had left in the morning to meet a friend, but when I returned, I had a lease for a spare room in my bag.

Living at home made it hard to distinguish between being a child and an adult. My parents were respectful of my age, but they still treated me like a kid, asking ...