Parents Weekend for the Never Empty Nesters

We just returned from our older son’s parents weekend — he’s a sophomore but this was our first parents weekend at his school since last year his and my daughter’s were head-to-head and because she was a senior, we went to hers.

I flew alone with my youngest, a way I am more and more traveling. The airport was crowded. On our way to our gate, I bumped into at least eight friends bound for kid visits on other campuses all over the country. When a stranger behind me in line for coffee wondered aloud why the airport was so busy, I told her it was the parents weekend at maybe 82% of schools in the country and we were witnessing Thanksgiving-level air traffic in reverse.

My son loves to travel. I often think an airport gives him an amusement-park kind of delight, every personal interaction a pleasing ride, like the teacups maybe. Shifting views. Something new every time you look. Every person an opportunity. When I travel alone, I slip into a me v. world mindset. When I travel with my son, I’m reminded: the world is much better when you work with it.

“What’s your name?” he loves to ask anyone/everyone.

“And what’s your last name?”

“Hey, want to hear a joke?”

His questioning always strikes me as an if/then decision tree, a filtering-of-people…