The Mother (and Father) of All Graduations

My youngest brother, Aaron, graduated from high school yesterday. There was a lot of talk about dreams and all the hard times that got them to this point. I found myself a little choked up - not because of the class of 2008's "will to win" or their "strength to succeed," but because it truly is the end of an era. My parents have had a child in school since 1978 when Jen started kindergarten. THIRTY YEARS. In the words of pre-school Aaron (at left wearing his Thomas the Tank shoes and a "packback" full of pictures he colored himself, on his way to pre-school), "I need to make a list!"

1. Seven graduation ceremonies! (Dad missed Melissa's birth, so missing her graduation from high school wasn't that big.) Can you imagine sitting through speeches about dreams and imagination and the will to win SEVEN times?! Whew. At least they had a few years rest between ceremonies.

2. Dozens of choir concerts. I'm pretty sure all eight of us participated in high school choir. Some of the choirs were good, some great, a few stinky. This photo is from a choir performance I had at my Dad's work party in 1991. Are my parents having a Biggest Glasses Contest? I tried to find a photo of Jen's graduation because I know there is an awesome one out there somewhere. Anyway, this is approximately what my parents looked like when Jen graduated in 1991.

3. At the very least twenty proms and dozens of other dances. Most of those were the girls in the family and I know I only had one dance dress that Mom didn't make for me. That's a lot of last minute sewing and blow-hard speeches to dates about being home on time because "So-and-so is our favorite." One time I came upstairs in my just-finished dress to find my date sitting on the couch in his tuxedo with Aaron sitting on his lap. Aaron was wearing a diaper and peanut butter. Apparently it was story time and the guy on the couch was the only person Aaron could find sitting down. Here is a photo of Katy and me at a dance in 1992. (Our dates are Steve Tuttle and Ben Olsen. I was a senior and Katy was a sophomore. I guess all seniors have to try to look cool for pictures. Try and fail.) We're both wearing dresses Mom made for us.

4. The Plays! I wasn't in them myself, but my sisters (especially Jen and Melissa) were. That's a lot of drama over the years. I can't speak for the North Carolina productions, but I know the Woods Cross musicals were always very long and probably not as great as they seemed to us at the time. Kudos to my parents for supporting them anyway. This photo is of Melissa and Jen in Woods Cross High School's production of "The Music Man" in 1990. Ah, there's the winner of the Biggest Glasses Contest! Congratulations, Melissa! :)

5. My mother had to get kids registered for school (grade school, junior high, high school) ninety-six times. For all you non-high school graduates, that's almost one hundred.

6. Dozens of try-outs, auditions, elections, victories and disappointments. What pill tastes as bitter as not making cheerleader? Not being elected to class or student body office? Not making the team? I'm guessing it isn't a pleasure to be the parent of such a failure. Here I am basking in the limelight as 9th Grade Secretary - the only election I ever won. (Not the only one I participated in, btw.) This leads me to my next item...

7. Hair. Lots and lots of hair. Big, straight, long, short, bad, good, brunettes trying to be blondes, redheads trying to be blondes. No matter what, six teenage girls (and one boy) who care way too much about how their hair looks means carpets covered in hair, tub drains full of hair, and the never ending search for Mom's brush. (The following picture is of the five teenagers in the family in 1992. From left, Allyn at 14, Me at 18, Jen at 19, Katy at 16, and Melissa at just barely 13.)

8. Twenty-four high school yearbooks.

9. Dozens of annoying friends. From the dumb boys leaving a stuffed dog in front of Jennie's and my window in junior high to Allyn's gaggle of mean girls to The Legend. That alone could be your reason for not having eight children. It's just one of mine.

10. Sports! Panthers, Spartans, Wildcats, Imps, Weasels (no? why do I feel like Imps should always be followed by Weasels?), Cavemen. Mom and Dad cheered for the team whether we were riding the pine, watching the cheerleaders, falling down on the track, or not making a tackle.

Cheers to the parents (also bus drivers)! Congratulations to my Mom and Dad for the biggest graduation in the history of graduations.