It's Moms Weekend at Ohio University, and while most students are reminding their moms not to speed on the way to this highly anticipated theme weekend, I am trying to convince my mom that we could use a little time apart from the hustle and bustle of her life as a matriarch.
Last year, my mom and I spent the OU Moms Weekend in Hilton Head... with 11 other people. Amid six of my seven siblings, five of my nieces and nephews and my dad, my mom and I spent approximately eight minutes alone the whole week. And even getting those eight minutes was a challenge. Yet I knew it would have been more of a challenge to convince my mom to spend a weekend in my tiny apartment, rattled by deafening rap music from the neighbor boys, perfumed with Wendy's french fries from the alley below and equipped with only one mini bathroom shared by four girls.
But I prefer to blame her reluctance to engage in Moms Weekend on my older sister, Liz. After the 1997 Moms Weekend visit, my mom was not too keen on returning. Liz took my mom Uptown; they had a few drinks and laughs, returned to the residence halls and went to sleep. All was going well until Liz's roommate Lola came home a little intoxicated, only to try to snuggle up to my mom in bed. Apparently, Mom was not feeling the love. Liz might be the only one of my siblings to tell a tale like that.
Whether you just want to see your mom relax and enjoy some beverages or you crave her undivided attention, the motivation behind inviting your mom down proves that you have probably digested at least a few of the values she has tried to pass on.
Three of my roommates, who are lucky enough to host their moms in Athens this weekend, will participate in the Mom's Walk for a Cure on Saturday, and on Friday they will be donning the I love Mom Old Navy T-shirts. With dads and siblings left at home, this weekend is the perfect time to soak up all of Mom's attention and support, as you pack it with activities and introduce her to your student organizations, friends and co-workers. It will be no small feat to convince her you are cultured and active in campus life, but she will be so impressed.
Regardless of your true level of extracurricular involvement, your mom may always be your biggest cheerleader. Inherently, it seems that moms are the most sympathetic listeners for heartbreaks, and the best nurses when the common cold confines you to misery. Her values of love and generosity may inspire you to do the same.
This year is my last here at OU, and my mom has actually said she would like to come. She will have to squeeze in the visit after traveling to Cincinnati to take care of my 5-year-old niece for a few days, and her Sunday routine of cooking a big dinner for my dad, grandma and three siblings in Columbus.
Despite her busy schedule, she has not forgotten her priorities - cleanliness and privacy. Even though my roommates and I have moved into a big, off-campus house with two bathrooms and our own bedrooms, my mom has requested we spend the night just outside of town. None of my siblings and none of her grandchildren will be there, nor will any drunk roommates or imposing music. Just time to chat with a woman I deeply admire and cherish. And I will be bringing the wine to ensure Liz does not have the monopoly on tipsy-mom tales.
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Teresa Pione
