The new school year is well underway.

Students are bombarded with tests, papers and the social pressures to abandon homework for a party.

At times, the people who are really important to us seem to get lost in our constant running from class to class.

We forget, not only what it is like to have a good home-cooked meal, but also dinner discussions about the day’s events at the kitchen table.

Well, this weekend many Iowa State students will be reminded of the families they left behind to pursue a higher education.

Family Weekend 1998 gives families the opportunity to play catch-up on things going on in their lives that may have been missed during phone conversations.

Many of the activities planned for the weekend allow students to give their families a dose of what it’s like to be a college student.

No longer will mom and dad be able to say that you’re having too much fun here.

Family Weekend also should be a time for families to reflect.

The transition to college is hard for most families.

Parents lose daughters and sons, and daughters and sons face being on their own and making their own decisions.

However, not every child has grown up with parents as a safety net.

Recent incidents, such as the Des Moines mother who was charged with murdering her two-week-old son, should make some stop and think, is my family that bad?

Not everyone is lucky enough to have a family — a safety net.

So this weekend, when some of you contemplate ditching your family to go out and party, remember that the time you have with your family may be limited.

Don’t take them for granted, because nothing in life is ever guaranteed.

Take advantage of Family Weekend.

It’s planned to bring families together, and for them to have fun at Iowa State — a place where you have fun.

Go to the football game, Casino Night, the Omelet Breakfast and “Getting Jiggy with Chemistry.”

Or don’t go.

You don’t have to go to the events to share with your family the life you have established at Iowa State.