Yesterday I attended a high school graduation. This event was special not just because one of my children was graduating, but because she is the LAST of my SIX children to graduate. Now, I have gone to all my children's graduations even though I think they are a particularly stupid social ceremony. Although I appreciate that a person has made it through high school; by the same token - it is just high school. A subject for another post maybe is adults that don't seem to be able to let go of high school - but I digress. I am proud of my daughter for her accomplishment. I am more proud of the fact that she has become a pretty decent person on her way to what I hope will be an even better adult, able to make a positive contribution to this world.
Now for the point of all this...
In evaluating my feelings about the graduation, I was thinking about the fact that I have been to six - for MY kids. Our first graduated before our last started school. So I started doing some math. (I actually did a spreadsheet, so maybe I am a bit weirder than I even let on) Here are some facts:
My wife and I have had at least one teenager in our household for the last 19 years! AND, we have most of two years to go until we are done with them. 21 years of teenagers - I hear people complain about their one or two and just laugh. Even more astonishing is the fact that we have had at least two teenagers in our households for 16 of those years! AND, to top it all off, for 11 years we had three teenagers in our household. Reread those numbers and show some RESPECT!
As for high school students - (remember that is only a three or four year proposition as opposed to teenager-dom which is part of eight) we have had at least one for the past 16 years! We had at least two for six years. Do you know how many practices, concerts, performances, games, open houses, etc that represents? 16 years of high school is over 100 dog years! Woof, woof.
If you have read, or care to go back and read earlier posts you will come upon some that are a bit strange. If you factor in the above numbers, it is a wonder any of them are not! Seriously!! But I gotta go, my invisible friend has to feed his pet anaconda.
NOTE: if you only read occassionaly - this is one of several posts over the past few days - keep reading
If you are truly pressed for time, just read the bold, italicized, and underlined sentences. That won't take you long at all! Another year has passed and if you are reading this, a new one is getting ready to start (or has started) for you. New Year’s celebrations are a time for reflection on what has happened and also a chance to start anew. New Year’s resolutions are a manifestation of this. Weight loss plans, gym proprietors, exercise equipment makers, and others know this. If you have watched any TV, gone online, or read any magazines or newspapers you know that the people that make their living selling and signing people up for those things are hitting it hard. We like new beginnings and the chance to reset and set new goals. Losing weight, stopping smoking, cut back or stopping drinking, and other things a lot of folks see as improvement are at the forefront of our collective thoughts and efforts this time of year. Although not a real advocate of New Year’s resolutions, I
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