Graduation

Well, our son graduated from Pinkerton Academy last night.  I must say I am NOT a fan of graduations.  I barely recall my High School graduation.  For my Bachelor's degree, I chose not to go.  It was a hot, sweltering day anyway and to sit there for hours so that I could walk across a stage, shake the hand of someone I never met just to get my diploma was not high on my list of activities.  My father was disappointed but I bet my mother was relieved.

When I completed my Master's degree, I again chose not to go to graduation.  Again, my feeling was I achieved the result I was after, I did not need to spend hours in a ceremony waiting for that 10 seconds of recognition among thousands of others for a slip of paper.  I knew what I had achieved and why, so the paper did not mean much.  I have both degrees but don't ask me where they are.  The most important place is on my resume.  My father was devastated and it's the only regret I have was that I didn't provide him that opportunity for him to be openly proud of his son.  He tried everything to get me to go, but I was as stubborn as I could be and won - I guess.

Interestingly, I do not feel this way about the Rite of Candidacy.  Perhaps because it was a smaller group?  Not sure why I think differently about that, I'll have to reflect on it more.

Anyway, with the lad graduating, we had to sit for 5 hours for the 10 seconds where he walks across the stage to shake the hand of someone who never met him to hand him a blank folder.  All the graduates got the ACTUAL diploma after the ceremony.  Five hours of my life I can't get back.  I'll admit, watching the 10 seconds made me feel proud, but the other 4 hours, 59 minutes and 50 seconds were agony.

I made it through and will spend two years trying to figure out a way to not attend the next one.  But I'm sure I'll go for the 10 seconds of pride...