Moms Weekend has an ongoing tradition of moms visiting their children, but some students celebrate it in an unconventional way by inviting other family members down.  

Ellie Gallo, sophomore in Education, not only has her mom visiting her, but is also going to be joined by her aunts from her mom’s side and her dad’s side, as well as her cousin. 

She said she plans on taking part in the various activities her sorority will host.

“We have a brunch and we have a moms silent auction. My brother is a senior here, and he’s in a frat, so they also have events. We also might go see ‘Legally Blonde.’ We’re pretty relaxed, so we’ll probably just go with the flow.” 

Last year, she said that only her mom and one of her aunts came to visit. When asked about expectations for this upcoming Moms Weekend, she said, “I feel really obligated to keep them entertained … since it’s my family, I know they’ll be open to doing anything, and it’ll be easygoing.” 

She said she has a few recommendations for people who are looking for fun events to attend this weekend.

“I know that they are always putting on musicals every year,” she said. “There are craft shows going on. Last year, I think there were comedians in the Union. You can go ice-skating; you can go to sporting events. There are a lot of options if you are willing to look for them.” 

Conor Mac, senior in LAS, said he has two aunts visiting along with his mom this upcoming Moms Weekend. In all of his years, he said that he has never had just his mom visit him, because his aunts have children here as well. 

“My mom always knows people here so I never have to make sure that she’s having fun,” Mac said. 

His plans include, “just going to the bars, and to friends’ parties.” He said he never has any specific plans or events that he and his mom and aunts attend. 

A tradition that has been ongoing for him every Moms Weekend is eating breakfast somewhere off-campus. 

“Don’t just go to Merry-Ann’s for breakfast. We generally eat off-campus in downtown Champaign or Urbana,” he said.

Shannon Flood, freshman in Business, said her mom can’t make it to mom’s weekend, so two of her aunts are coming down, along with three of her cousins. 

“A lot of my cousins have gone here, and all sorts of family has just come down and it’s sort of a tradition. I also have a cousin who’s a senior here,” she said. 

Since she’s experiencing Moms Weekend without her mom, Flood explained how she expects her experience to be. 

“I’m sure it’ll be a little different. I am really close with my extended family that’s coming … I don’t get to see them as much as I’d like to. I definitely think we’ll get to talk about things that we wouldn’t normally talk about at family parties, because it’s a different atmosphere,” she said.

Some specific activities that Flood intends participating in include either a mother-daughter cooking class or yoga, both which are events offered by her sorority. 

While the three have completely different situations, they prove that Moms Weekend can still be celebrated, even in the most unconventional ways.

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