Monday, June 14, 2010

Friends Forever

Today my youngest child took part in what serves as a graduation ceremony from elementary school. I use the qualifier because the public school system prefers "promotion" to graduation, but for me, the semantic distinction is silly. For more than half of his life he's reported to a building, been part of a community, and now he's leaving it. He's graduating.

And it's a big deal.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not about to rue this passage or lament this leap away from childhood, but I will weep. I'm certain of that. I will tear up because that's what mommies do when their babies are clearly not babies any longer. A huge piece of my heart is in that school. It's where Carson lost teeth, learned to read and write, and gained prowess on the jungle gym. As their "promotion" song suggests, the friendships he made at Maplewood will stay with him until he breathes his last.

Here he is, the smaller of the two boys in red t-shirts, dancing something called "the jerk." Thank God he's still young and innocent enough not to get the irony in that name. For now, anyway!

4 comments:

  1. Anonymous6:25 PM

    holy crap. i just bawled. i get it i get it i get it.
    carson is superb. love lidia

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  2. Very sweet. I love that it is now cool for boys to dance.

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  3. Thanks, you two. I know Lid has boys, do you, Susan?

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  4. Wow, kids are so sophisticated these days. When I was promoted, the kindergarteners bid us adieu with "So long, Farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, Good Night." It was a different era.

    Send Carson my congratulations!

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