1. We all get homesick while away at college, and parent's weekends are the perfect cure. You can't deny that although school has been the time of your life, you miss your adolescence from time to time. When parent's come to town, it's refreshing to see a familiar, comforting face and to be reminded of why you miss them so much.
2. One weekend is the perfect amount of time. 3-4 days is plenty to spend all hours of the day with your parents. After that, you're usually ready to say sayonara and get back to the swing of things.
3. You get pampered a bit (or a lot). Parents love to make sure you have everything you need when they're in town. "Need stuff from Target?" "Have you gone grocery shopping lately?" "We should probably get you a new pair of *insert clothing item*...those are looking a bit worn out."
4. We get to show them how much fun we have. Who doesn't love to bring their parents to tailgates and bars? A lot of us don't even realize how much fun our parents are until we bring them back to their college days. Fun fact: my dad turned out to be way better at drinking than I thought. Who knew?
5. THEY BUY US FOOD. Bottom line, dinner with parents is always the best because we know who's gonna pick up the bill (hint: not us).
6. Because they miss us so much, the weekend is usually free of arguments and fighting. Parents don't want to spend their short time with you fighting and bickering, so most of the time, parent's weekends are memorable in the best way possible. It leaves us feeling good about keeping in touch with them as much as possible while we're at school -- we may not realize it, but they think about us 24/7 when we're away.
7. They understand why they (or you) are paying so much for your education. Being able to see the campus, buildings, atmosphere, and social aspect of a school really helps parents understand why you or they themselves are dropping an insane amount of money on college. If you're happy at school, they'll be able to see that. It lets them sleep at night knowing you're at the right place.
8. They finally get to meet your friends. College friends are (as my brother constantly reminds me) are gonna be the people giving speeches at your wedding someday. They're the people you will be close with for the rest of your life. So, it's kind of important that your parents meet these individuals. Parent's weekends are great for this because not only are they introduced to your friends, but (sometimes) your friend's parents as well. Knowing your friends is a big deal to moms and dads because they want to familiarize themselves with the people who you surround yourself with (and they seem to find a little comfort in knowing who you're getting hammered with on a daily basis).
9. We can connect with them in a different way than in past years. Once you're on your own, self-sufficient (for the most part), and have reached adulthood, you're able to have experiences with your parents that you weren't able to have growing up. You feel like more of an equal to them, and they get to see how much you've matured (hopefully). The conversations are more real, and you finally feel like they're more than just the people in charge. And, like us Wisco college kids know, we can finally sit down and have a drink with them wherever we go. That's definitely something you couldn't do before, and it gives you an overall sense of age.
10. It means a lot to them. Seeing your child at college, according to my mom, is exciting and meaningful because it's such a milestone in our lives. Parents are proud of us no matter what, and seeing us grow up on our own is a huge deal. Sappy, but extremely true. They won't be around forever (depressing, sorry) and this is the time to really indulge in their presence. So the next time your 'rents are in town, make the most of it and enjoy your time together.
