Graduation Day & The Grunter

It’s graduation week here in the South. The open houses and parties have begun.

We’ve been through graduation with our firstborn once before.

He made it through kindergarten with flying colors.

As if any of us needed to wear a cap and gown and “graduate” from kindergarten. Sure, we bought right into the new ritual. Ahh, the peer pressure.

He sailed through elementary school even when we homeschooled (gasp) during his 4th grade year.

He was a cute 1st grader.

Middle school (known as junior high back in my day) was relatively painless as well.

He was a cute 7th grader too. Yes, I know I’m biased.

He will remind me that homeschooling again (double gasp) in 8th grade created struggles for him in high school. Math specifically.

Sorry, Bud, I did the best I could.

We made the best educational decisions we could throughout the years. We have experienced private Christian school, homeschooling and public school.

We know there is no such thing as the perfect school much like we know there are no perfect children or perfect parents.

Eighteen years and thirteen years of school have not really flown by. Some people claim that the years fly by. Sometimes I have even claimed that.

The Grunter has survived being our firstborn and our “test boy.” He has actually passed again with flying colors.

Don’t get me wrong – the journey has not always been smooth sailing. The Cocoa Krispie Nightmare was just one of our many struggles I can write about while still maintaining some decorum (and while he still lives at home with us).

He is not walking in his high school graduation ceremony. After he told me three times he didn’t want to go to the ceremony, I listened. It seems to have created more stress for friends and family than it has for him or us.

This is the first of many decisions he is making on his own.

This is the part where my job description as mom starts to change.

This is the part where I worry and praise and love and pray.

This is the part where you start to let go.

This picture is one of my all-time favorites in his photo album when he was just a wee little naked baby learning to walk.

The quote I wrote on the page of his album so many years ago and is very poignant for me right now…

“A boy has two jobs. One is just being a boy.

The other is growing up to be a man.”

–Herbert Hoover

His job of being a boy is almost over.

His job of becoming a man is just beginning.

Life Lesson (LL): Growing and nurturing a baby boy into a man is a hard, scary job.

Share a Life Lesson (SALL): Share how your “babies” are turning out. Moms supporting moms makes the job a little less overwhelming!