Spring Break
Don't be a turkey this Thanksgiving
Paige Classey
Issue date: 11/21/08 Section: Focus
They're insane, neurotic, embarrassing and you love them to death. One of the best things about breaks is the chance to see your family and spend time with the people you love that you probably don't get to be with as much anymore, now that you're a UConn scholar.
You get to catch up with your sister on the gossip at your old high school, or help your older brother plan a bachelor party. You get to go shopping with your mom, cook with your grandmother, or play ball with your dad.
But then there's that looming Thanksgiving dinner, complete with delicious dishes, football, a long nap … and your psychotic relatives that are straight out of National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. What to do?
"Drink excessively and if that doesn't work, run away," said Tyler Leslie, a 5th-semester fine arts major.
But hangovers can get real old, real fast. And after a week, maybe your parents aren't so pleased to have you back as they were on the first day, when you're leaving dishes in the sink and coming home at 3 a.m. How do you survive Thanksgiving break?
You're still
your parents' child
Perhaps you've gotten more liberties now that you're older, perhaps you haven't - either way, remember that your lifestyle at college may not exactly mesh with your lifestyle at home. Keep this in mind, and you may avoid some heated arguments with your parents when you forget to call to say you'll be out all night.
Get some space
If you feel like you're going to flip out if you have to answer one more question about your major or post-graduation plans, go take a breather. If your sibling now drives your old set of wheels and won't sacrifice the keys, go take a walk or call up a friend to rescue you. It's better to go clear your head than to have a complete meltdown at a family gathering.
Or take a more creative, holiday-inspired route: "Eat as much turkey as possible at Thanksgiving dinner so that you can pass out on the couch and avoid conversations you don't want to have," said Jessica Young, a 5th-semester human development and family studies major and psychology double major.
You get to catch up with your sister on the gossip at your old high school, or help your older brother plan a bachelor party. You get to go shopping with your mom, cook with your grandmother, or play ball with your dad.
But then there's that looming Thanksgiving dinner, complete with delicious dishes, football, a long nap … and your psychotic relatives that are straight out of National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. What to do?
"Drink excessively and if that doesn't work, run away," said Tyler Leslie, a 5th-semester fine arts major.
But hangovers can get real old, real fast. And after a week, maybe your parents aren't so pleased to have you back as they were on the first day, when you're leaving dishes in the sink and coming home at 3 a.m. How do you survive Thanksgiving break?
You're still
your parents' child
Perhaps you've gotten more liberties now that you're older, perhaps you haven't - either way, remember that your lifestyle at college may not exactly mesh with your lifestyle at home. Keep this in mind, and you may avoid some heated arguments with your parents when you forget to call to say you'll be out all night.
Get some space
If you feel like you're going to flip out if you have to answer one more question about your major or post-graduation plans, go take a breather. If your sibling now drives your old set of wheels and won't sacrifice the keys, go take a walk or call up a friend to rescue you. It's better to go clear your head than to have a complete meltdown at a family gathering.
Or take a more creative, holiday-inspired route: "Eat as much turkey as possible at Thanksgiving dinner so that you can pass out on the couch and avoid conversations you don't want to have," said Jessica Young, a 5th-semester human development and family studies major and psychology double major.
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