Cambridge, MA—At the opening of Freshman Parents’ Weekend on Friday, local parent Elizabeth Hermann forgot the name of her son, Jordan Hermann ’19.

“Hi there, um, Greg?” she said upon meeting her 19-year-old child next to the parents’ welcome booth.

When Jordan corrected her mistake, she replied, “Oh, of course. Of course. It’s crazy, I’m meeting so many new people, it’s so hard to keep track.” She went on to explain to her offspring that he looked so different from his Facebook photo.

Throughout the day, she continued to converse with the only human being she has ever given birth to, asking questions like, “So where are you from, Greg?” and “Do you have any pets?” He replied that their only dog, Billy, had died two years ago.

“It’s ok, I get where she’s coming from,” Jordan said later. “It would just have been nice to know that she remembered that time when she taught me to play the violin, and then continued to teach me for nine more years. But she’s a busy woman.” 

"I am such a busy woman," added Mrs. Hermann. "So busy."

As of press time, Jordan’s father was convinced that a girl he sat next to in the freshman dining hall was his daughter.

Image source: Paul/Flickr