Don’t Return Home with Scars: Education, Love, and the Responsibility of a Student Far from Home

writtten by: Aidah Fithtriyah

Every child who leaves home to pursue higher education carries with them the great hopes of their parents. Hopes that the child will gain knowledge, improve their life, and eventually become the pride of the family. Unfortunately, many students squander this opportunity. Instead of focusing on their original goals, they get carried away by social circles, unhealthy romantic relationships, and behaviors that deviate from the values instilled in them since childhood.

This phenomenon is not an exaggeration. Social media and daily news are filled with tragic cases involving young people, especially university students, caught in toxic relationships. Some are willing to abandon their studies for a partner; some endure physical and emotional abuse. Disturbingly, there have even been cases of mutilation, murder, and suicide in the name of love. Isn’t that heartbreaking?

Meanwhile, back home, there are parents working tirelessly whether as farmers, laborers, honorary teachers, or small traders just to be able to send money for tuition, rent, and their child’s daily needs in a faraway city. Many of them endure hunger, forgo buying new clothes, or even sell land, all for the future of their children. They don’t ask for much only that their child studies seriously, takes care of themselves, and returns home as a better person.

Sadly, not all students realize how precious their parents’ sacrifices are. Free time is wasted on unproductive activities, monthly allowances are spent on hanging out or buying luxury items, and worst of all, the family name is tarnished by shameful behavior. Some end up dropping out, getting pregnant out of wedlock, or becoming entangled in criminal cases all because they were too caught up in “chasing love” and forgot their true purpose in wandering away.

Love is a natural part of life. But if love makes us lose ourselves, stray from God, and hurt the parents who have given everything, then such love must be questioned. Is it truly love, or merely lust disguised as something beautiful? Many sacrifice everything for a partner, when that partner might not even be the right one, might not care at all, and could even bring disaster. As the saying goes, “Blind love leads to a dark path.”

It’s important to remember: youth is not a time to be wasted on emotional recklessness and fleeting feelings. Youth is the best time to build the future, prepare oneself, and repay our parents’ kindness with achievements not with wounds. Be grateful. There are many children out there who never get the chance to attend university, who have to work from a young age, who drop out of school due to poverty. And us? We’ve been entrusted with an opportunity, yet we treat it as a game.

There’s nothing wrong with falling in love. But it is far more important to protect our dignity, stay focused on our life goals, and know our limits. Students should be a symbol of change and hope, not another tragic story in the crime section of the news. If you truly want to love, start by loving yourself, loving your parents, and loving your future.

Living away from home is not about having unlimited freedom. It is a test of independence, responsibility, and maturity. Don’t waste your parents’ hard work with foolish decisions. Don’t let love be the reason you forget your main goal. Behind every transfer of monthly allowance, there are prayers and tears unseen. So one day, come home as a source of pride not regret.