Me too. Graduated HS when I was 17 and a month later was on a plane headed to basic training.
I went to college pretty much on my own. I had to navigate the labyrinthine Financial Aid maze pretty much on my own (my Mom was a big believer that once you can cook your own dinner, you should navigate life on your own -- and she was RIGHT!) as well as the overall college application process.
I only lived on campus dorms (a requirement at Pepperdine for Freshmen) for 2 trimesters, then moved off campus (to Heathercliff Road on The Point).
The worst thing you can do to an adult is infantilize him/her. But not only do liberals do so, they accept it with open arms.