Graduation

My son graduated yesterday. I cried. Actually, I was on the verge of sobbing. My lower lip was quivering, snot dripping from my nose and tears streaming down my face. Thank goodness another mother was cracking jokes or I would have made a complete fool of myself. Did I mention this was a kindergarten graduation ceremony? I couldn’t help it. It seems like just yesterday he was a chubby 10-month-old crawling on the floor. He is the middle child so I didn’t raise him in a bubble like my first born. With your first kid you boil everything. The second and third could eat dirt and you shrug it off. The five second rule becomes 10, 20 seconds or even a minute.

My son’s teacher presented each student with an award. There was an award for the kindest kid, best listener, handy helper, greatest giggle, etc. My son was the last one to be called up. His teacher (who was amazing) said he deserved so many awards that she couldn’t choose. So, he got the “Sensational Student Award.” I clapped politely, but inside I was screaming, “Yeah! That’s my boy! We win! Take your giggle award and go home.”

Then, the teacher busted out the year review slideshow and I lost it again. I couldn’t believe how much my son has grown since the first day of school. He glanced over at me, rolled his eyes and said, “Oh, here we go. She is crying again.” Everybody laughed, myself included. He doesn’t get it. He won’t until he becomes a parent. I will cry on that day, too.