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How to Survive Family Weekend

As you probably know, Miami University’s family weekend is quickly approaching. This means we are all about to be surrounded by the parents of our peers. If you thought hanging out with your own parents was rough, just wait until you have to make conversation with your roommates'. 

Family weekend can be scary, but with some of these tips, hopefully you can survive with minimal trauma. Here are some things to keep in mind when meeting someone’s parents for the first time:

  1. Get to know them on a first name basis: It’ll be difficult to connect right away if you’re calling them “Brian’s mom” or “Mr. Smith.” Instead, ask to call them by their first name, or even better, ask them if they had any fun college nicknames. 

What better way for Dad to relive the college experience than by hearing someone call him “Horrible Hangover Harry” again? 

This also opens the door to all of their crazy college stories they’re dying to tell (and their child is likely dying to hear and has never heard before).

  1. Talk about politics: There’s nothing better to talk about with a 50-year-old than the way they think America should run. 

They can tell you all about the way things used to be, and how great the country was when they were a kid. New perspectives are always great to hear, and no one is more open to sharing their political opinions than parents.

  1. Tell them about how their child is REALLY doing: Sometimes it’s hard for kids to open up to their parents about what’s actually going on in their lives, but parents want to be involved! 

Tell them about the crazy nights their kid has had, the close encounters, times they skipped class or spent the night somewhere. Tell them all the juicy details so they can have a stronger relationship with their child. 

I hope these tips help you this weekend, whether you’re stuck with your friends’ parents in your dorm for two hours, or you somehow find yourself trapped in a conversation with a couple dads on the Brick patio. 

And if you somehow find yourself in a situation where nothing seems to work, King Library is open until 1 a.m.

todysea@miamioh.edu

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