I had such an amazing time watching Life of the Party with one of my favorites, Grace!
This move was filled with comedy, a little bit of sadness and drama. There’s more to it than you might imagine. I definitely recommend checking out this movie for those mothers who just dropped their child off at college or who will be doing this soon.
Why you ask? Well, I can relate. When I dropped Faith off at college this year I didn’t necessarily want to go back to school and do the work as much as I wanted to just stay there with her … in the dorm!
If you’ve had nagging thoughts about going to school again or dealing with your soon-to-be college kid, check this movie out. In the meantime, I’ll share with you my key takeaways.
1.Engage with your children. When you have a great relationship with your child, they may accept you going off to college with them. So if going back to school in the near future is on your mind, take the time to build a relationship with your child now.
Plan special outings just for the two of you. Listen to their interests and opinions. Treat them like a friend (when you can!). As your child grows up, your relationship will change all on its own. You can do your best to make that a positive change.
2. It’s never too late! You’re never too old to return to school and make a dream come true. If you’ve been interested in a certain area of study for years, now is the time to go for it. Even if you have grown children, you have plenty of life ahead of you. Going back to school can be the beginning of an exciting new chapter.
Interested in the idea of going back to school but not sure about what it would actually look like in your day-to-day life? Start with one class. Check out the campus. Start picturing your new life as a student and prepare to take the leap.
3. Break past emotional obstacles. Deciding to go back to school can be tough because of the emotional obstacles in your head. If you didn’t have these thoughts holding you back, you would have already decided to go back, right? In the movie, the mom had to quit school as a young woman because her husband and her couldn’t afford for them to both graduate. Decades later, they get a divorce. On top of that, her baby girl is about to leave her. Hurtles like these can be tough, but there’s no reason to let them hold you back.
Your future can be bright if you have the courage to put yourself out there. Leave the past in the past and start anew.
4. You might make friends. One of the themes of this movie is sisterhood as the mom becomes part of her daughter’s sorority (I know, hilarious!). What’s heart-warming is that the mom and the other girls in the sorority get along. This mature woman becomes a sort of older sister or second mom.
One of the scariest parts about going back to school is imagining all the kids around you. You might be afraid of standing out or looking silly. But you need to look at the flip side of that. You might actually make friends. You could be the help someone else needs. And you may find women there just like you. Even if you’re the most mature in the room, you could be the example someone needs to see that you should always be pursuing your dreams.
5. Embrace your unique self. In the movie, there’s a big 80’s dance party and Melisa Mcarthy (the mom in the movie) jumps out and takes the dance floor in her costume, catching the attention of a young hunk. Ha! This scene shows just how fun it is to be yourself – in public! Too often we hide ourselves when we could be the life of the party.
If you want to go back to school or hang out on a beautiful campus, do it! Get involved. Be 100% yourself and embrace it. You never know who you’ll inspire.
Life of the Party is a great reminder that you can go back to school and have fun doing it. It’s your turn to follow your dreams and finally pursue that degree you’ve been dreaming of.