I could bellyache the old mantra, “Back when I was a kid.” It would be the truth. Back when I was a kid, I wasn’t treated to a high school graduation party. I considered myself lucky to receive as my graduation gift the antique Remington typewriter my mother gleaned from a second hand store. (She knew I liked to write.) I didn’t get a dinner, a cake, or presents. I walked out of my parents’ front door with a simple “Hello adulthood” and “Goodbye childhood”.
Of course, it’s all different now.
We won’t spend as much as some parents have, but it’s enough to feel a pinch in the pocketbook. I can’t see the need for a full-scale blow out. If and when she gets out of college with a degree in hand, I will likely change my mind.
My daughter’s high school graduation party feels like the grand launching of a new era. She proudly proclaims her intentions of getting serious with college studies. She thinks being two-thousand miles from her friends and boyfriend will be a positive influence. In the back of my mind, I’m wondering if the close proximity to the ocean will have the exact opposite effect.
Meanwhile, her friends will get together, hang decorations, and accomplish final bonding before heading off to school next month. With every rite of passage comes the flush of success.
Tomorrow night, we’ll all smile politely and help her celebrate what will hopefully be the first of many momentous occasions.
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