Ah, Family Weekend! Like all things in our lives, this evokes a love-hate relationship. During the days leading up to the weekend, we carefully compile a list of all the things we need from Walmart, refraining from buying anything until we can stock up on the items that will see us through Thanksgiving. I certainly reaped the benefits of going out to eat, even treating myself to a non-water beverage and delectable dessert. Despite all the special attention for the weekend, a lot of us start to lose our sanity during the visit. Here are some of my tips and tricks that kept me going. 

1. Give your friends a debrief of all the things that should be left out of conversation, god-forbid they get verbal confirmation that you participate in college social life. This way, if your family mentions something that is on the no-conversation list, your friends know to deter from that topic.
2. Offer to make the weekend schedule for them; take that burden off their plate. If your familial relationship is anything like mine, you want to be able to control as much uncertainty as possible. Your family likely does not know Lewisburg or Bucknell like you do, so if you decide what the weekend looks like, you can predetermine when your family has to leave to get back to taking care of your baby brother, who is 15 years old. 
3. Get your negotiating skills ready. Friday night dinner goes great, you are wrapping up dinner and about to watch someone else pay for dinner. Everything is just grand, until they pop that one question: “what time should we pick you up to go to breakfast tomorrow? 7:30, 8, 8:30?” I was able to bargain for 8 a.m. after my initial suggestion of 9:30. This is when you bring up Walmart. If you pick where the breakfast place is, pick a place near Walmart. I picked Perkins and had my traditional Perky Bear Pancakes off the children’s menu, while looking at the Walmart through the window, daydreaming about that infinite list of items I desired. 
4. Let your family pick out whatever they want to do, but let them know you will only attend a certain amount of Bucknell activities. I was able to negotiate it down to three events that I would participate in. Even then, how did I keep my sanity going through an embarrassing 2+ hours of bingo and lunch? I kept my spirits high because I had a built-in “parent break” at 1 p.m.
5. Around then, I encouraged my family to go enjoy an indoor activity while I bargained for driving time. We all need our own time, so while they were watching a cappella in an indoor, well-heated building with comfortable seating, I was with my friends driving along the state route making yet another Walmart and Goodwill run. I picked them up two hours later, and they told me about how wonderful all the performances were. 
6. Decide before your family gets to Lewisburg if they will accompany you to Super. Around 3 p.m., the notorious phenomenon “Super” gets going. Yes, for some of the student body, taking your parents to Super is a bonding experience. For others, like myself, it probably isn’t the best idea to bring them to Super. This is when Bucknell really came through with the clutch: the homecoming football game. I planned to take them to the football game for the first half, and then once they got bored, I would let them go home. For better or for worse, the rain got them on the road a little earlier than expected. Even if you are not a football fan, I recommend going because the football stadium is conveniently on the opposite side of campus from St. Catherine’s Street, and it is quiet enough where you can passively engage in conversation. 

Family Weekend will always embody a love-hate relationship, but thank goodness for the complementary stuff because that will always keep me going even when my sanity shatters. Even though seeing your family while you’re at college can be difficult at times, I overall had a good time with them, and if you’re in any rocky situation like me, I recommend predetermining boundaries.