Many people’s favorite moment in life is the moment when they realize that it’s time to move away from the parents. Whether it’s temporary or permanent, leaving the nest is always fun.

But what makes leaving the house such an important milestone? Let’s be honest: Moving out of the house instantly puts more responsibility on one’s shoulders, especially if it’s moving into an apartment.

He or she is now in charge of their own grocery shopping, their own laundry (if they weren’t already), and if they’ve moved to an apartment, they now have to worry about bills.

Who even knew how those worked, anyway? Our parents always covered them, right?

Well, not anymore. Now the responsibility has fallen onto the kid. Now the kid has to learn how to budget their money so they can still afford to pay the bills every month. It is now the kid’s responsibility to deal with maintenance and plumber or repairman bills.

But all of that pales in comparison to the good stuff.

I remember one time when my friends and I wanted food, we walked down to Insomnia Cookies at about 11:30 p.m. We didn’t make it back until well after midnight.

At home, that would not have worked out. I would have had to ask my parents for permission or else sneak out and risk getting caught. But I didn’t have to do that. We wanted to go, so we went. It was beautiful.

Freedom is what it’s called. It’s the ability to go somewhere last minute on a Friday without having to worry about any prior family plans.

It’s the idea that, although he or she may not necessarily want to, one could go out every weekend and stay out late and not have to worry about parents calling every hour to check in.

Living away from the parents means that you get to make your own plans. Want to have a small get together with some friends? That’s cool. Want to have a sleepover with a friend on a weekday? That’s alright as well.

Now, my living experience isn’t representative of everyone else’s, obviously; I live in a dorm. My parents are still paying for my living expenses.

But I’m still out of the house, and I’m still in charge of budgeting my own money for groceries or other dorm-room needs. I can still stay out late on a Friday night, and I don’t have to worry about an adult telling me what to do all the time. In the end, the idea of freedom is the same.

Now don’t get me wrong — parents are wonderful. I love mine, and most other people love theirs as well. But let’s face it: everyone needs a break at some point.

Kids aren’t the only ones who gain a new sense of freedom, either. If the child moving out happens to be the parents’ only or last child, imagine all the free time they now have.

They can now schedule things with their friends without having to worry about whether they may need to play chauffeur to their kids and their kids’ friends.

A sigh of relief is breathed on both ends when kids move out. While it may come with new troubles, a good number of them are also shed. It’s a new chapter in one’s life and it’s one that everyone looks forward to.

So enjoy a parent-free life while it lasts, because soon enough, there will be more parents around you, when you have to watch over and chauffeur your own children.