I am out of the office this afternoon at my own ’27’s Family Weekend, so this is a pre-post
EDITOR’S NOTE: Friday morning, a tornado watch alert was sent to the campus community via email. In addition, students who have enabled Alertus would have seen this window pop up on their laptop; here’s how it showed up on mine:
If your student has not activated Alertus, please have them do it. Many of our students turn their phones off for class but have laptops with them to take notes. In the event of an emergency, we want all our students to be able to get the Alertus notification on their laptops, just so we are sure they see it.
And as a reminder, parents and families can receive safety alerts if they sign up for the WakeSafe app; instructions here.
Happy Family Weekend to all who celebrate! This is our big weekend, and while the forecast might be rainy, and travel plans janky, I hope that you have a wonderful time connecting with your Deac this weekend. Today I want to offer just a few Family Weekend DOs and DON’Ts.
DOs
Let your face/eyes light up whenever your Deac comes into view. They want and need to know that you have missed them and that you bring them joy. They will be able to see it on your face, so beam proudly.
Be warm and welcoming to their friends, roommate/suitemates, romantic person, etc. One of the great joys of college is getting to view your student through other people’s eyes.
Pamper them a little. Whether that is a nice meal out, a little extra cash slid to them, or whatever is meaningful to them. Spoiling is good.
Be patient with indecisiveness, schedule changes, and last minute plans. Most students don’t do a lot of planning ahead. Roll with it as best you can.
Be generous with “I love you,” “I’m happy to see you,” “I’m so proud of you,” etc. They can never hear those things enough.
And now the DON’Ts
Comment on their appearance (whether that is pounds gained, scraggly hair, wrinkly clothes, whatever).
Tell any embarrassing stories about them, especially around their friends.
Refer to them by a name they don’t use anymore (e.g., my brother in law was “Matthew” from birth-18, but wanted to go by “Matt” in college).
Try to spend all your time with them. As much as they love you and you love them, they likely need some time for homework, paperwriting, etc.
Above all – have fun and enjoy your time together. It goes too quickly, I know!
