The last time we took him there was to frolic in the ball pit. Suddenly he's furnishing a whole apartment in a new city with items he will put together himself, like giant Legos. Suddenly he's intrigued by 'birch' and 'console' and the Hemnes eight-door dresser to hold his work clothes.
And he's still a fan of the meatballs. A theme park for real life.
CJ is traveling in a steamy climate before he starts his real world job. How satisfying to still be able to contribute/interfere in his life, especially when he calls to let me know he appreciates my concern:
The hike was ridiculously hot. It's a good thing I had my mesh-lined UV blocking shirt with rear vents for airflow and cooling. Thanks, Mom.
Our son CJ has graduated from college, just moments, it seems after we were the snack parents for the T-ball game. In addition to posing for photos in the pouring rain and the blinding sun, we managed to attend all of the following events, many without the right outfits:
- Dinner with sophomore roommate's family (from New Jersey)
- Baccalaureate ceremony
- President's reception
- Fraternity cocktail party
- Dinner with junior roommate's family (from New York)
- Drinks with current roommate's family (from Honduras)
- Dessert event in the Gardens
- Breakfast at the Stadium
- Commencement procession and ceremony
- Departmental diploma ceremony and reception
- Mother's Day Dinner
- Packfest at the condemn-worthy dwelling where CJ spent his senior year
and, since we've been back:
- Dukan diet to counteract the effects of all of the above
- Graduation BBQ (relatives)
- Pre-K reunion (awww, so sweet….especially the screening of "The World is a Rainbow," with over the top hand motions and class bunny reaction shots from graduation in 1996.)
- BBQ and photo op with kindergarten friend with whom CJ spent the last seventeen years.
And, of course, no round of graduation festivities would be complete without a seven-hour ordeal at the emergency room when GC injured his hand at 11pm the night before the commencement ceremony. There was also the visit to the hand surgeon for a redo of many stiches and other procedures done in the ER. All is fine now, and GC fully participating in his internship with just a bandaid on the injured area – thanks for asking.
But our Machu Picchu plans quickly morphed into a less edgy retreat to Santa Fe, where everyone got a well-deserved deep tissue massage. The Neurotic Parent took a blog hiatus becaus of a) the emotionally overwhelming cap and gown newsfeed on FB and b) a new obsession with virtual apartment hunting for CJ's first real world dwelling. Much to be said about that when I figure out how much can be revealed…and whether I'm invited for the upcoming Ikea run.
NEXT: Where they are now – Paths chosen by kids mentioned in the original 2008 blog
Off to four days of graduation fun, culminating on Mothers Day, a sea of hats celebrating the beginning of the real world for him and the end of tuition payments for us. Like a destination wedding without the Spanx: Eight official events, plus random breakfasts, receptions, cocktail parties, dinners, garden parties, UPS drama and parking nightmares. All in the rain, if you can trust the meteorology majors who predict the weather.
Top clichés that are repeated over and over again:
1. So many emotions
2. Impossible to believe
3. Four (five, six) years flew by
4. My baby – all grown up
5. Me – too grown up
6. He worked so hard
7. So proud (especially of that final grade – an A in Hip Hop Appreciation)
I'm moderating a segment about the insane state of college admissions on HuffPost Live, the new streaming video network. We're looking for fellow neurotic parents who would like to appear via webcam. The producers want to hear true tales from people all over the world, "the crazier their stories, the better." You can remain anonymous, and even wear a ski mask.
Please send me an email at theneuroticparent@gmail.com or leave a comment if interested.