My Favorite Domer is home for Easter Break, and I can’t help marveling at the reasons he gave for his visit.

1) Toilet paper. Notre Dame dorms get their bathrooms cleaned at least daily (if not more often!). Sad to say, my son doesn’t get that princely treatment at home. But home offers something his dorm doesn’t — cottony soft toilet paper. And MFD said all the guys like going home for that. Imagine, something they took for granted all those years through childhood and high school is now a prized commodity!

2) Comfy bed. Most of the dorms at Notre Dame feature twin-sized beds, twin-sized extra long, to be exact. Which makes it lots of fun buying sheets and mattress pads. But the beds themselves are thin. Not the extra-deep variety with a pillow top. Thus, sleeping (which most college kids seem to avoid while on campus) becomes a treat at home, and rousing a kid for a new day takes determination and steely resolve.

3) Hot water. To hear MFD tell it, Notre Dame must not have hot, running water in the dorm showers. I trust that’s not 100 percent true, as tuition and other fees are certainly sufficient to provide a warm bathing experience for our little dears! Still, there must be something about coming home and standing in the shower until the hot water tank runs cold! It’s like going to a swanky hotel, and you’ve even got Mom around to do laundry.

4) Roommates. By this time, even the best of friends are tired of each other. And when you’ve got four in a quad, there are four personalities to deal with, four people with their own quirks and mannerisms. Some like the dark; others have to have light. Some like total quiet; others surround themselves with music. Some study all the time; others barely crack open their textbooks. Yep, it’s a real challenge to remain on speaking terms with roommates who are so different, especially for an only child like MFD!

5) The dog. I’m convinced college dorms should each have a dog mascot, somebody the kids could run to for comfort, companionship, and total love. Cats are too independent; fish and turtles aren’t cuddly; rabbits are too fearful, and horses are too large. A dog would be perfect, bestowing generous kisses, lapping up the attention, and helping to ease the stresses of campus life. Why, the mere act of petting a dog lowers blood pressure and puts a smile in your heart! No wonder my son misses the Sheltie so much!

What was one thing you missed most when you were away at college?