Millenium Park In Chicago
They often say in the Midwest that Spring falls on one day of the week and then we go right into the blazing hot summer. Today it fell on the best day yet...Graduation Day. Today my son greeted the rest on his life in beautiful downtown Chicago at Millenium Park which sits directly across the street from where he has attended college for the last four years. Thankfully, the universe smiled down on us and gave us a sparkling sky, warm weather, and blooming flowers everywhere. What a way to mark the end of one journey and the start of the next.
As a mom, it was a bitter sweet day. At this point I am so excited to see my son launch into his own life. It is time, and we are both ready for him to move into that phase. But there is that little pain I felt as I watched my oldest child walk across the stage to receive his diploma....now a man. Life events suddenly come tumbling out of the recesses of my memory bank. His birth when, rather than cry, he seemingly stared at the hospital clock and grabbed the doctors forceps. His love of playing with legos and action figures and pretending to be Aladdin. His pulling his pants down at a formal baptism to show all the girls what he had that they didn't. His first day at day care, kindergarden, high school, then college. His first bike ride in Michigan. His Easter Egg hunts at Oma's in Santa Barbara. The Spelling Bee he won in elementary school. His amazing ability in Tae Kwon Do. His fondnes of Barney, then Power Rangers, Pokemon, Dragon Ball Z, Men In Black, Lord of the Rings....and wham...GIRLS! His honesty about becoming sexually active at a time when every mother would just rather be lied to. Getting his driver's license. And then there was the artwork...all the time since he could pick up a crayon. He would go in his bedroom and draw for hours. It soothed him and seemed to make him genuinely happy...and he was, is really, really amazing! Once he was accused of drawing a nasty picture of his 4th grade teacher. I looked at the drawing and laughed, knowing full well he hadn't drawn it. The teacher looked at me quizzically. "Harrison didn't draw that. He couldn't draw that badly if he tried." Then his countless art festival awards.
As a mom, it was a bitter sweet day. At this point I am so excited to see my son launch into his own life. It is time, and we are both ready for him to move into that phase. But there is that little pain I felt as I watched my oldest child walk across the stage to receive his diploma....now a man. Life events suddenly come tumbling out of the recesses of my memory bank. His birth when, rather than cry, he seemingly stared at the hospital clock and grabbed the doctors forceps. His love of playing with legos and action figures and pretending to be Aladdin. His pulling his pants down at a formal baptism to show all the girls what he had that they didn't. His first day at day care, kindergarden, high school, then college. His first bike ride in Michigan. His Easter Egg hunts at Oma's in Santa Barbara. The Spelling Bee he won in elementary school. His amazing ability in Tae Kwon Do. His fondnes of Barney, then Power Rangers, Pokemon, Dragon Ball Z, Men In Black, Lord of the Rings....and wham...GIRLS! His honesty about becoming sexually active at a time when every mother would just rather be lied to. Getting his driver's license. And then there was the artwork...all the time since he could pick up a crayon. He would go in his bedroom and draw for hours. It soothed him and seemed to make him genuinely happy...and he was, is really, really amazing! Once he was accused of drawing a nasty picture of his 4th grade teacher. I looked at the drawing and laughed, knowing full well he hadn't drawn it. The teacher looked at me quizzically. "Harrison didn't draw that. He couldn't draw that badly if he tried." Then his countless art festival awards.
Jumbo-tron view of him graduating
I watched as he crossed the stage, but part of me was immersed in recollection. My chest tightened. Oh hell, Susanne, don't cry. This little baby I brought home from the hospital almost 22 years ago was setting forth on his own life's journey. I am in awe, sad, proud, elated.
This parent thing never gets easy, does it? Yes, Mom, you warned me. Damn it, I hate it when she is right...which is almost always. Maybe I should delete that last part. Could come back to bite me. Oh well, truth be told, she deserves some applause. Most of us think we have it all figured out in our twenties and treat our parents like some sub-human species that really doesn't know how this thing called life works. Then we have kids of our own, still thinking we know better than the last generation...then life happens and we get older and wiser and, oh, so much less cocky. Suddenly we realize that Mom did "kind of" know what she was doing and talking about, then we move from "kind of" to full on respect. I look forward to that day. Mom, you have my full on respect!
But today, I bask in the glory of my son making it through many years of struggling, hard work, and incredible focus. He seems rejuvinated and rearing to go. That is why I recommend people of all ages attend a college garduation periodically. The youthful energy is infectious. The feeling they can conquer the world and make a difference has not yet been jaded by the humdrum tedium of the day-to-day tasks in life. It was palpable today and gave me a renewed sense of respect for life and what we do with it.
This parent thing never gets easy, does it? Yes, Mom, you warned me. Damn it, I hate it when she is right...which is almost always. Maybe I should delete that last part. Could come back to bite me. Oh well, truth be told, she deserves some applause. Most of us think we have it all figured out in our twenties and treat our parents like some sub-human species that really doesn't know how this thing called life works. Then we have kids of our own, still thinking we know better than the last generation...then life happens and we get older and wiser and, oh, so much less cocky. Suddenly we realize that Mom did "kind of" know what she was doing and talking about, then we move from "kind of" to full on respect. I look forward to that day. Mom, you have my full on respect!
But today, I bask in the glory of my son making it through many years of struggling, hard work, and incredible focus. He seems rejuvinated and rearing to go. That is why I recommend people of all ages attend a college garduation periodically. The youthful energy is infectious. The feeling they can conquer the world and make a difference has not yet been jaded by the humdrum tedium of the day-to-day tasks in life. It was palpable today and gave me a renewed sense of respect for life and what we do with it.
Both kids...Life moves so fast!
The day ended with my almost 14 year old daughter and I driving back from Chicago to Milwaukee, singing along with her I-Tunes selections, laughing, listening to comedy she pulled off You-Tube. We took an unintended scenic route along Lake Michigan then headed West towards the freeway through small, amazing ethnic neighborhoods in Northern Chicago. We traveled through Pakistan, India, & Russia. It made me realize that the next 4 years will go so fast, and then I will be able to move anywhere in the world I want to. As we listened to Jim Gaffigan sing "Hot Pockets", my daughter burst into laughter. I looked over at her. I hope "anywhere in the world" ends up close to these two amazing people I have spent my life raising.
The flood of memories started again. So much of my life has been dedicated to these two kids. And as a single mom, that concentration intensified and became my priority for years. I needed to make sure these two not only survived a broken home but moved on as individuals, strong, happy, nurtured, and with an appreciation for life. I'm thinking we are okay...not too much therapy in their adulthood. One down...one to go.
The flood of memories started again. So much of my life has been dedicated to these two kids. And as a single mom, that concentration intensified and became my priority for years. I needed to make sure these two not only survived a broken home but moved on as individuals, strong, happy, nurtured, and with an appreciation for life. I'm thinking we are okay...not too much therapy in their adulthood. One down...one to go.
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