Managing an Intern When You Used to Be One Yourself

Many young professionals probably began their careers in public relations as someones intern. In my case, I am an intern that got hired at the same company I interned with. Now, I have interns of my own. Ah, what a life circle.
While I now have three interns under my belt I battled sweaty palms the day my first intern showed up to work. How was I supposed to manage an intern when less than a year earlier I was an intern myself? What I have learned as part of my intern follies between now and then boil down to three simple rules.
#1: Treat the intern well but not too well. In other words, show your intern some tough love. Let their schedule be flexible to help them out with school and their lives but don't let them skip a day at work without pre-approving it. Take your intern out to lunch but don't let them take a long lunch break of their own. This will teach your interns to respect you, not walk all over you.
#2: Realize these are interns people! As much as I would like my intern to read my mind and act like a mini me so I can get back to my own work I know I have to spend time feeding them the details, checking in on their work and even their feelings. You also have to double check their work. They don't have the same drive, knowledge and passion that a staff member does so cater to this.
#3: Simply: give your interns as much freedom as they demonstrate that they deserve.
With these basic rules you can feel confident to lead your interns the same way your boss would, even if they are only 2 years younger than you are.