As my mother and I headed back to the car after my first college visit to the campus of Villanova, my mother commented, "Well, at least the kids looked normal."

I had no idea what she meant. I had just spent more than two hours walking around a college campus in the January cold, feeling like everyone was staring at our 20-member tour group, and listening to my mom ask the world's most obvious questions about cafeteria food and campus security.

As I considered my mother's possible definitions of "normal" -- ideas taken from my preconceived notions of her preferences in clothing, hairstyles, piercings, and choice of books -- the only thought in my mind was, "Normal? What is that supposed to mean?"

In the fall of 2006, when my mom began planning our visits to college campuses, I became nervous about visiting institutions that seemed as foreign as Jupiter.

Despite the initial excitement of searching for colleges, panic set in when I realized that I didn't know exactly know I wanted to do with my life.

But while my original outlook on college visits was unenthusiastic, the trips helped me to see the situation through my parents' eyes, understand their concerns and relax.

When I traveled to James Madison University in Virginia, my mother and I had a good laugh over our clueless tour guide.

When I visited American University in Washington, D.C., I found it amusing that my father was fascinated that students could monitor the progress of their laundry from their laptops.

When I traveled to Boston College in Boston, I experienced the strange sensation of boarding a plane to a city where I may be living on my own a year from now.

In the process of printing parking garage vouchers and stacks of directions to every building on all six of the campuses I visited, I bonded with my parents and discovered how much they will miss me when I leave for college.

It took me a while to realize that a parent's approach is naturally different than a student's when it comes to life-changing decisions like college.

Big-picture concepts like tuition and average number of students per class are vital to parents, but seem irrelevant to a student who is simply trying to picture themselves living away from home for the first time with complete strangers.

At the same time, parents are also struggling to adjust to the idea of their children leaving home.

I discovered my dad's feelings about my leaving for college when we visited Boston. After I expressed my interest in Boston College, he asked, "Do you realize how far away from home this is?"

That question really put my future into perspective and made me realize how much my life will change when I leave home.

And, in spite of my mom's constant questions, I know that she is just trying to make sure that I will be happy and successful at the school I attend.

After numerous conversations on car rides and in college cafeterias, I finally understand my mother's definition of "normal." Normal is not a threatening or intimidating environment.

Normal is the people I've grown up with, the friends I've had for nearly my whole life. Normal is a happy and satisfied me.

As my parents become empty nesters, they will be comforted by the knowledge that I am content with my new life.

When I leave home for the first time, college visits will seem trivial to my experience.

Those trips, however, helped me to realize that change is scary for everyone involved and enabled me to build a stronger relationship with my parents.