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RV Road Trip: Parents
Weekend at Ohio U By Alison
Strome
Most parents anticipate that first visit to
their offspring’s Parents Weekend as a chance to affirm that their child
is happy, adjusting to college life, and approaching the experience with
maturity and grace. What most college kids anticipate during that special
time is that their parents will behave in the same manner.
Not so our family, which shamelessly hauled a 27 ft. Class C Motorhome,
Single Slide, into our son’s dorm parking lot at Ohio University to greet
him last November. And parked it there for the duration of the weekend.
Actually, it was my husband’s idea. Always the adventurer, he thought it
would be “fun” to have a “home base” where our son and his friends could
“rendezvous” and we could “entertain them.” (I had to cook???) He thought
it would be a great “family experience” while avoiding the drab motel
routine. (And what exactly is so wrong with ugly bedspreads?)
Once upon a time (before children) we had enjoyed camping and the
occasional football weekend in a recreational vehicle with friends. But
this was different; we were novices making our parental debut on our son’s
turf. We needed to know that the idea was okay with him.
To my chagrin, he thought it was a great idea. I gamely consented, on the
condition that “entertaining” would consist of a couple bags of pretzels.
We picked up our camper the night before our departure, and I must confess
I was impressed with its features. Compartments that would make NASA proud
provided ample storage for our clothing, sports equipment and all those
pretzels. It was rather cute, in a storybook-cottage kind of way. Snow
White’s dwarfs might have appreciated the shower, which was the size of an
umbrella closet. (“Hey, we can shower in his dorm,” my husband suggested.
Yeah, right.) His idealistic visions of a “family experience” were further
dashed when our 16 year-old daughter refused to join us, citing a variety
of reasons, including humiliation.
Something to consider: driving a Class C 27 ft. motor home is an adventure
in itself. Tricky to park, challenging to maneuver on country roads, it is
a beast to contend with on a windy day. My husband likened it to driving a
motor boat. But, somehow, we made it safely to our son’s college, and
brazenly set up our “patio” (lawn chairs) right there in the parking lot.
The experience proved to be successful; a
home base for our family and an easy place for our son’s friends and
families to find (I might add we were the ONLY motor home on campus.) One
friend thoughtfully brought trailer-appropriate food to share - Cheez Whiz
and crackers. Our son got a huge kick out of the experience, bless his
heart. I just hope that he isn’t remembered for the duration of his
college experience as the kid whose family “lived in the camper in the
dorm parking lot.”
Reprinted from
www.boomthis.com
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