Moms Weekend — the one spring semester weekend where waiting in line for dinner is expected, WinCo turns into the jungle scenes from Mean Girls and the Vandals play the least exciting game in the history of football. My mom and I leave town and avoid the chaos if we can.
When you’ve lived in Moscow your entire life, Moms Weekend is less than exciting and only makes driving across town take 10 minutes instead of five.
For many, Moms Weekend means cleaning frantically, a fully stocked fridge and a weekend of free meals. For me, it means I should probably start studying for finals.
But don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining.
I don’t have any obligatory campus or college town tours to give and I don’t have to clean my bathroom if I don’t feel like it.
I can make any weekend Moms Weekend and I often do. Two weeks ago my mom and I spent Saturday being absurdly feminine — getting our nails done, taking a trip to the mall and gossiping about nothing — and yesterday I ate lunch in her office, which is conveniently located halfway between my geography class and The Argonaut office.
In truth, Moms Weekend is a needed reminder that I’m fortunate to be able to see my parents whenever I want. I rarely go more than a couple days without seeing at least one of them.
When I get annoyed at living so close to home or being in Moscow for too long, my friends are often missing home the most. If I need motherly advice — and even when I don’t — my mom is never more than five minutes away.
This Moms Weekend we’re actually partaking in the festivities and joining a herd of moms for a nice dinner. As soon as that’s over we’re skipping town and hitting the road for a day to enjoy each other’s company and a change of scenery. It’s not that we don’t appreciate Moms Weekend, it’s that we have to be a little more creative to make it different than every other “Moms Weekend” we’re able to celebrate throughout the year.
If your mom can’t make the trip to Moscow this weekend, give her a call and let her know you appreciate her and everything that she does. You don’t need a designated weekend to do it, but this one’s a good reminder.
To my mom, I’m excited to spend the weekend with you (again) and to my friends — I’m willing to share her if yours is missing. She’s one of the best.
Kaitlyn Krasselt can be reached at [email protected]