<p>My son had his last high school class yesterday. Is he an adult? He and his friends are going to the movies tonight and I keep thinking “It’s a school night.” To those of you who have already been through all this - What is it like? I have one more at home, so it’s not going to be an empty nest yet, but how will it be? I am going to be a mess at graduation.</p>
<p>It is normal. I think you just have to keep reminding yourself that it is time for your son to start the next step of the journey and hopefully it will be an exciting journey. Be happy for him.</p>
<p>My trigger is reading the graduation cards in the drugstore…
Although I’ve already had practice with S1, I fully expect to cry (quietly) during at least part of S2’s HS graduation ceremony. It’s what I do, unfortunately. </p>
<p>Am not looking forward to S1’s college graduation next year. His college has given him the happiest days of his life so far, and for that reason I will always love it. It will be hard to say goodbye to his school AND him. He joined the army last summer, and active duty begins upon graduation.</p>
<p>Bring a pair of big dark ‘Jackie O’ sunglasses…!</p>
<p>Okay, I’m doing better this morning. I just had one of those waves of emotion last night. It’s the crazy time of year at work, the inlaws are coming for graduation, and graduation…</p>
<p>I’ll definitely bring the sunglasses.</p>
<p>All I have to do is hum Pomp and Circumstance and the waterworks start flowing. :o</p>
<p>^^^pass the tissues please!</p>
<p>I actually did pretty well when my son graduated and started college. I cried at graduation and when we dropped him off at school, but just for a bit. It really hit me hard towards the end of Oct. I was really sad for a few days, but got through it. </p>
<p>My daughter is a jr this year and I know her graduation will be tough for me. She was homeschooled prior to high school, so I have a different type of investment in her. And the fact that she will be going to school far from home, not 2 hrs away like my son, makes it even harder. I will be stocking up on tissues…</p>
<p>“Bring a pair of big dark ‘Jackie O’ sunglasses…!”</p>
<p>Well that may be fine for those of you with contact lenses or good vision, but what am I supposed to do when Happykid crosses the stage? If I take my glasses off, I’ll be lucky to even know where the stage is!</p>
<p>I cried all the way through senior year - last performance of the musical, last performance of the jazz choir show, last choir concert, senior breakfast, graduation…The night we took him to college we all saw Wicked…sobbed through “For Good”:</p>
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<p>BUT, when the time came to leave him at school, Husband cried, Son cried, but I was dry eyed…I’d shed all the tears already!</p>
<p>I’m a slobberin’ mess…although I suspect it might be from lack of sleep finishing up graduation party menus, scrambling to finish scrapbooks where he is still in the 3rd grade, and trying to re-landscape my whole property in one weekend.</p>
<p>If you want to sob your heart out and just get it over with, check out this video:</p>
<p>[YouTube</a> - Mother’s Day - “The Gift of an Ordinary Day” by Katrina Kenison](<a href=“http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olSyCLJU3O0]YouTube”>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olSyCLJU3O0)</p>
<p>My plan is to watch it about 1000 times and clear out my system so I won’t need the sunglasses when the big day comes. I can’t believe this time in my life has passed already. When they are babies you swear it seems like it will last forever. And now he’s a man…</p>
<p>Well, back to work. Hang in there, sisters!</p>
<p>Final child - done with his AP tests, so they aren’t doing much in class. Graduation isn’t until June 17th, so over a month to go. Only one final to take. He is on cruise control.</p>
<p>^^That is a long time between finishing AP exams and graduation. It’s nice to be in the south. My son is graduating next week.</p>
<p>It is an emotional time…a lot of excitement and anticipation for the next chapter.
My oldest is graduating college ( technically did back in Dec , but ceremonies next Monday )</p>
<p>It occured to me how fast everything has gone by…it seems like just yesterday her peers were collecting beanie babies and now they are embarking on careers and one even getting married !</p>
<p>Not sure how I am going to feel on Monday …</p>
<p>I’ll give you a different viewpoint. My D’s last day of classes is tomorrow, then 3 weeks of community study, then graduation on June 14th. I will certainly miss her when she leaves for college - actually, she is working this summer at an overnight camp so she won’t be around most of the summer - and although I will have my nostalgic moments, I will not be sad. I am thrilled that she is growing up and going on to have a wonderful college experience and become an adult. What makes me sad is that her older sister, who should be turning 21 next week, never even got to high school. She died from a brain tumor just before turning 12. I would do just about anything to have had the chance to watch her grow and learn and go off to college. We were soulmates, so yes, I’m sure I would have cried. But after all my family has been through, I am glad that my second D is now a well adjusted teen (not perfect, mind you) who got through those awful first years without her sister and will soon be a college freshman. Unfortunately, she had to experience things as a 9 and 10 year old that forced a different type of maturity at a young age - not really a good thing.</p>
<p>I am sure you all cherish your kids like I do - but don’t be sad about graduation or college. This is a very proud moment for parents - our kids have shown that they have what it takes (most of the time anyway) to succeed and to move on to the next phase in their lives. Trust me, the alternative to them growing up and leaving the nest is horrible.</p>
<p>PAO2008 - You have lived through every parents’ fear. I am sorry you lost your daughter. You sound like a strong individual who was able to gain strength from an unimagineable loss. Thank you for sharing your perspective. I am a big believer in trying to live my life without regrets, not that there haven’t been some, but I hope I have learned from them. It took many years for me to conceive my first son. I have always been grateful for both my boys and try to celebrate each day. I’m sure I will cry on graduation day, but they will be tears of pride, joy, excitement for the future, and a bit of sadness for the end of this period of our lives.</p>