Let’s just start this out by acknowledging the fact that I went into spring break with major FOMO. Two of my friends were taking a trip to Iceland, others camping, some going to Vegas and many taking trips up the California coast. I, however, am feeling the encroaching presence of hardcore adulthood, so I decided to go home for break and spend the time with my mom and essentially be babied for week. It’s not the typical choice for a collegiette spring break — I mean, I could have been in Cabo living it up while some foreign lover fed me grapes and tequila. My mom always wins out in those choices though — she’s beautiful, hilarious and quite the character. While the actual events of the week may not have been thrilling, I learned some very important things, so here’s what happened when I spent my spring break with her.
Day One
I drove five hours to my hometown to be greeted with my mom holding a tray of homemade enchiladas and cooking a Mexican feast. It looked like I made the right choice!
The first day mainly involved getting adjusted and feeling like a guest in my childhood home, while simultaneously obsessing over all of my friends’ Snapchat stories of their exotic vacations and luxury dinners. It’s really hard to swallow down the feeling that you’re missing out, but my mom did everything she could to make it better. We spend the night snuggled on the couch watching The Iron Giant. Childhood reigns supreme.
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Day Two
Obviously, we went to Disneyland. My mom and I have been annual pass holders since the moment I could say “Mickey Mouse” and a Disney day is our ultimate family tradition.
Disneyland with your mom is waaaay different than Disneyland with your friends. You have to be patient while moms walk slowly, getting distracted by every baby in a bucket hat and street performer that comes into view. The upside is that they spoil you with corndogs and churros, so you have to pick between the lesser of two evils in this situation.
Day Three
Not gonna lie, after two full days of mom time, I started to get a little antsy and grumpy. It’s not because of my mom, but just being home in general is always a weird experience. It’s hard to come home and have rules, a curfew and strange happenings all forced on you again, essentially taking away the careful routine and freedom that’s established at college (aka bingeing on Netflix and buttered cheese rolls in bed). Let’s just say that I definitely experienced a learning curve here. Despite my mood, my mom always makes the best of things and we visited our local puppy store to cheer me up. I swear, puppy breath has magical properties. I also taught her how to use Faceswap on Snapchat, so that endeavor lasted a good three hours.
Basically, everyone, always be nice to your moms because they love you. If you feel annoyed with them, I promise it’s not actually anything they’re doing. You’re probably just projecting the anger as a result of some other crappy part of your painstakingly average college life.
Day Four
We sat on opposite ends of the couch and read Jojo Moyes’ book Me Before You both of us finishing it in under seven hours. Needless to say we spent the next two hours crying about the — well I won’t spoil it for you! — and watching the movie trailer religiously, discussing every aspect of it. We concluded by nursing our pain with burritos.
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Day Five
My mom and I are not the most active people, usually preferring to remain horizontal than dare to move around and burn a calorie, but one of our favorite athletic-person pastimes is kayaking. We headed to a small lake near our house and kayaked around for about two hours before giving up and seeking out food and wine.
Day Six
The last day I spent at home was bittersweet because it felt like I had finally adjusted to being there again, but still desperately wanted to go back to school. It would be nice if I could magically lift my house and plant it right next to my college so that I could have the best fo both worlds. Since I won’t be going home for summer, this day my mom and I went around to all of my favorite places in Temecula (Alberto’s Taco Shop, Get Air trampoline park and the Old Town Theater) so that I could get one big blast of home before leaving again. Honestly, it felt more like being with a friend than being with my mom.
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Here’s What I Learned
No, my spring break wasn’t the most exciting. I stuck to my plan of only seeing my mother the entire week and doing various activities with her. I’m a person that deeply loves my mother, but even in this case I was nervous about how I would feel. It’s different to talk to your mom on the phone every day than to actually spend every single waking hour together.
What I learned from this experience is that I miss my mom more than I thought. I get so wrapped up in trying to adult, manage my classes and be the star of my social scene that I lose touch with myself and the things that fulfill me. Being home for a week and seeing myself as the beautiful person my mom thinks I am kept me grounded. It sucked the tension from my shoulders and put a spring back in my step that my college life doesn’t do.
I would encourage everyone to stop feeling the pressure of FOMO, and to skip a trip with friends or a summer abroad to just go be with your family. Mom hugs are the best hugs, and whether you’re at a low place in life or the highest you’ve ever been, pay a visit to your mom and be reminded how special and wonderful you are.