Being the huge Pokemon fan that I am, I bought Pokemon SoulSilver the day it was released last month. The game play was nostalgic, bringing back memories of my wasted youth in front of my beat up teal Game Boy Color. As I have always thought the Gold/Silver versions of the Pokemon franchise to be the best, it was exciting for me to replay the silly quests and Bug Catching Contests, but that is neither here nor there.

The reason I bring up the Pokemon game is the unique use of the player’s mom in the series.

Every game tends to start off the same: your mom tells you to talk to the local professor in town, you get your Pokemon and then you book out of your home town to start an adventure.

Rarely do you go back and tell good ol’ mom where you are going and that you may be gone for some time.

Poor mom is just sitting there, probably thinking: “Oh my! I hope Steve didn’t get lost walking down the street. He is surely taking a long time; I hope he is alright.”

While it is just a game, I can’t help but draw some similarities between the Pokemon games’ moms and how college students treat their moms.

Here is how it tends to play out in real life: Mom looks out for you and encourages you to go to college and be the best, like no one before ever was. You meet some professors that inspire you to go out across the land searching far and wide for knowledge and experience, and you kind of forget about mom sitting there at home. I mean, sure you come back and visit every once in awhile and she is happy as ever to see you.

And while you are at home visiting you rest up, probably raid the food cabinet for peanut butter and jelly, and then you leave and are back on your journey.

Mom kind of gets the shaft because although she wants to talk to you, she doesn’t really get a chance.

But thanks to advances in technology, you can talk to your mom while on the road.

There are cell phones, mirroring the mobile phone in Pokemon SoulSilver.

Mom often calls you, telling you how much she is proud of you and everything you are doing. But, you tend to ignore what she is saying, wanting to get back to whatever it is you were doing before, and say, “Thanks Mom. I am trying my best.”

Then she sends you care packages, and has them sent express delivery.

But, you rarely call back and say ‘thanks’, granted, in the game, she buys them with your money.

In the game, and in life, your mom wants to spend time with you, but she never gets to go hang out with you on your adventure. She is always stuck at home, working to fund your adventure abroad.

Your mom is given a thankless task and she is never expecting anything from you in return. But don’t you think it is time you should? Mom’s Weekend is a chance to show mom that you appreciate everything she has done for you and let her experience the journey you are having.

It is a small token of gratitude that really goes a long way.

Your mom will always love you, whether you become a Pokemon Master, or not, or if you are like me, still play Pokemon. So, go and make Moms Weekend an opportunity to show your mom that you love her too.

Steve is a sophomore in Media.