Spring Break
Maintaining your dignity, mothers and children
John Tavares
Issue date: 4/29/08 Section: Forum
Mom's Weekend is coming up. And soon mothers of all kinds will be flooding our town. We will see them everywhere; it won't be hard to miss. Just look for older women wearing OSU or Greek sweaters walking with happy, but slightly exasperated, students. They will come to see the school. They will come for the fashion show, the comedy show, the arts festival and the many other mom related activities.
They will come for the sales and special treatment of moms throughout Corvallis businesses. But most of all, they will come to see how much their babies have grown up outside of their nests. And to show their children how cool they still are.
Unfortunately, what this often entails is mothers blithely following their children to the many parties that spring up on this weekend. I've seen moms taking shots with their children in the bars and doing keg stands at a kegger. And as I watch mother and child lurching down the sidewalk, struggling to support one another in a constant directionless fall, I can't help but be saddened. It is a shameful display.
As funny as it may be to see your mom drunk, please, save it for the holidays. Nothing is more pitiful than stumbling upon two generations of a family holding each other's hair as they vomit behind a bar. I'm sure that there are other ways to show your mother how much you've grown and matured in your freedom at school than displaying your amazing beer pong skills.
As for mothers, yes, I know your kids are all grown up now and you want them to view you as a friend, or perhaps you just want to relive some of your own college memories, but that is no excuse to forget that you are still a mother, too. As much fun as you two are having, it stops being fun when they catch you drunkenly freak dancing. You raised them and now is your chance to teach them by example on partying maturely.
That said, it can be fun to hang out, mother and child, have a drink and connect on a more even level. But remember that you are both adults now. Mothers should not be regressing to meet the mentality of a drunken student. If you're going to drink and have fun, do so responsibly and maintain your dignity. Please - for the sake of everyone.
John Tavares is a senior in English. The opinions expressed in his columns do not necessarily represent those of the Daily Barometer staff. Tavares can be reached at forum@dailybarometer.com.
They will come for the sales and special treatment of moms throughout Corvallis businesses. But most of all, they will come to see how much their babies have grown up outside of their nests. And to show their children how cool they still are.
Unfortunately, what this often entails is mothers blithely following their children to the many parties that spring up on this weekend. I've seen moms taking shots with their children in the bars and doing keg stands at a kegger. And as I watch mother and child lurching down the sidewalk, struggling to support one another in a constant directionless fall, I can't help but be saddened. It is a shameful display.
As funny as it may be to see your mom drunk, please, save it for the holidays. Nothing is more pitiful than stumbling upon two generations of a family holding each other's hair as they vomit behind a bar. I'm sure that there are other ways to show your mother how much you've grown and matured in your freedom at school than displaying your amazing beer pong skills.
As for mothers, yes, I know your kids are all grown up now and you want them to view you as a friend, or perhaps you just want to relive some of your own college memories, but that is no excuse to forget that you are still a mother, too. As much fun as you two are having, it stops being fun when they catch you drunkenly freak dancing. You raised them and now is your chance to teach them by example on partying maturely.
That said, it can be fun to hang out, mother and child, have a drink and connect on a more even level. But remember that you are both adults now. Mothers should not be regressing to meet the mentality of a drunken student. If you're going to drink and have fun, do so responsibly and maintain your dignity. Please - for the sake of everyone.
John Tavares is a senior in English. The opinions expressed in his columns do not necessarily represent those of the Daily Barometer staff. Tavares can be reached at forum@dailybarometer.com.
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