ANGELA MERCHANT LINED up her green bowling ball and let it fly, knocking all but five pins down. But this mom doesn’t have to worry about her next turn — her 11-year-old son Nicholas has her back. With bowling shoes on and an orange ball in his grasp, he picked up three more pins, earning cheers from his friends.
Angela and Nicholas Merchant were just one of many mother-son pairs filling up all 42 lanes at Lucky Strike in Ladera Ranch on Nov. 8 for St. Serra Catholic School’s annual Mother & Son event. The Rancho Santa Margarita campus took over Lucky Strike on that Saturday after-noon to give moms and sons a chance to spend some quality time together.
“I feel like these events really shape these boys into little men, because they feel like they’re taking their mom out, and it’s a really special day,” Angela Merchant said. “We’re already close, but these kinds of things really solidify our relationship even more.”
The music was blaring as boys and moms bowled. Half-eaten pizza and cups of soda and water were spread about the tables at each lane as boys laughed with their friends and moms chatted. One mother and son duo battled it out at the air hockey table, while another pair held up toy guns to shoot down aliens in an arcade game.
The event — which brought out 260 children and family members — was a chance to bring the community together in camaraderie and a shared vision, said St. Serra Senior Principal Tim Tolzda.
STEPHANIE PESHTAZ OF TRABUCO CANYON HOLDS A VIRTUAL REALITY HEADSET FOR HER SON, SEBASTIAN PESHTAZ, 11, AS HE PLAYS AN ARCADE GAME ON NOV. 8.
“You can see there’s a great vibe right here, a lot of energy and a lot of fun,” Tolzda said, adding that he hopes the students take away from the event how important their mothers are.
“You never forget your mother,” he shared. “You take that moment to recognize your mother, but it’s also about community and coming together as friends — as Jesus would want us to do — and just enjoying life.”
St. Serra’s commitment to family time is one of the reasons Angela Merchant chose the school for all four of her children’s education.
“Family values are so important and it’s seen throughout the school in the way they prioritize events for the family: fathers and daughters, mothers and sons, grandparents,” she said. “They want everyone to be welcomed at the school, and although we are a big campus, we’re family-centered. Faith and family are really important.”
As far as remembering to appreciate his mother, that’s not a problem for sixth-grader Nicholas Merchant, who said it’s really special to get this one-on-one time with his mom. Although the two like to go to dinner together, watch movies and especially go skiing together, Nicholas said there isn’t enough mother and son time.
“I just love her,” Nicholas said. “She’s taught me a lot — how to be a good person and to respect and love all people. She’s just the best!”
At a lane on the other side of the alley, kindergartner Thomas Holm, 5, said he was having fun bowling with mom, especially because he was beating her 85-82.
“I’m in the lead of her,” Thomas said with a big grin.
“You’re in the lead,” added Kaitlin Holm, smiling. “You’re beating Mom today.”
TAYLOR WHEELER OF RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA TAKES HER TURN BOWLING DURING A ST. SERRA SCHOOL MOTHER/ SON BOWLING EVENT AT LUCKY STRIKE IN LADERA RANCH. PHOTOS BY JEFF ANTENORE/DIOCESE OF ORANGE
The event is one the pair had been looking forward to all year since they attended their first one last year.
“We are feeling great today,” Kaitlin Holm said. “It’s exciting to have some special one-on-one time with this guy. It’s very special.”
She added: We don’t get to do this very often, so we look forward to it all year long.”