The Gift of Our Efforts
Whether it was sending flowers to her doorstep, writing a handwritten card or talking on the phone, Exonians had many different ways of showing their love and gratitude on Mother’s Day last Sunday. Of course, none of these can compare to being back home and celebrating the whole day with family and Mom herself, but that does not take away from the relationships and love we have for our mothers or any family members for that matter.
Almost every boarder remembers their decision to come to Exeter. Although for most of us, obviously, the pros eventually outweighed the cons, there are still many things we had to give up when we decided to attend the Academy; one of these is living with our family full-time. Coming to Exeter for the first time last fall was difficult for me. I knew from then on I would only be spending school breaks and summer at home, and so I might grow distant with my family. But what I have found, and many others have as well, is that being here has not impeded my family relationships; if anything, it has strengthened them. Now, even though I only see my mom, dad, brother and sisters for four and a half months a year, they are a pleasant, enjoyable four and a half months. I rarely bicker with any of my siblings or parents anymore because I am only home for short breaks and I might as well make the most of it. Consequently, I may not spend as much time at home as a day student, but when I do return, there are far fewer arguments and disputes than a normal household with teenage children would have.
It’s the same story when I am at school. Clearly with attending classes, playing sports, taking musics lessons and hanging out in the dorm, no one will have ample amounts of time to talk with parents on the phone. But whenever we do get the chance, which for most of my friends is at a minimum once a week, we have fun, fulfilling conversations. So if someone has a lot of homework on Mother’s Day, and cannot talk for an hour with his or her parent, it is not a sign of selfishness or being overworked. It is simply a consequence of attending boarding school. Perhaps because of attending Exeter, we cannot bake our mothers breakfast, give them a present in person or spend the whole day with them, but we can have a nice conversation over the phone so that we can check in on the family and for our moms to check in on how we are doing at school.
After all, by toiling away at our homework, preparing thoroughly for extra curricular activities and trying a multitude of new things, we are utilizing the best of what Exeter has to offer. We sacrifice old friends, easier school work and spending time at home to attend Exeter, to learn and to develop as young adults. It was difficult for our parents to let us leave home and go off to a distant high school, but we are making the most of our time here and thus making our parents proud, a Mother’s Day gift that all the chocolate and flowers in the world cannot match.