Today, my little brother graduated from high school.
Normally, high school graduation means nothing to me. I downplayed my own graduation and I usually just can't see what all the excitement is about.
But this graduation was different. This was my baby brother's graduation!
My little brother is growing up, going off to college, becoming an adult... the kid I teased, tattled on, and beat senseless (at least until he was bigger than me) walked across the stage today, he accepted his diploma, he turned his tassle.
I shed a tear as his name was called and as he waved his diploma happily toward the crowd.
I watched as my little brother walked across the stage as a soon-to-be adult. A St. Martin's University student; a [dare I say it] man in charge of himself from this point forward.
I couldn't be more proud.
The ceremony was perfect... nothing about it was disappointing, not even the off-key choir or the MC Principal who I can't stand.
What scared me [and prompted me to write this blog] is not the pride I have in my brother. It wasn't the ceremony or the graduates or the staff or the superintendent. No, I was put off by the "adults" in the crowd-- people there to watch their graduates become successful adults were more childish than the infants they carried in their arms.
Now I'm not a total prude. When your graduate walks across the stage, whoop and holler all you want-- while that person's on stage. Many families were respectful in this way. Unfortunately, most were not. Some students were so popular that the next two or three students after them were washed out behind cheers and blowhorns, whistles and noisemakers of every kind imaginable. No one seemed to care if the little people were recognized... as long as their amazing student was. If my kid's name was drowned out by the hollering of another's, I'd be extremely upset. If I didn't hear my little brother's name called today because a group was too self-centered to consider other's, I would have been furious.
It is not only this disrespect that got me a little flustered. In fact, that tidbit barely got me to roll my eyes. Adults can be disrespectful but still be "adult..." as long as their disrespect is mild and tolerable.
Unfortunately, the tolerable yelling for graduates was the least of my complaints.
The entire ceremony, as I sat with my video camera in hand, silently making sure my hand stayed still and zoomed in at all the right places, my aunt was next to me gossiping and talking about how boring the speakers were... how they're "supposed to talk about high school and graduation, not friendships." About the off-key choir [who, by the way, is composed off high school students in a district with no art funding] or what her son is doing with his life.
I understand some people are talkers-- but today was Timmy's day. Why can't we watch him become an adult without worrying about what being an adult really means?
What does "being an adult" mean? Does it mean that the MC doesn't have to come over the microphone and tell people to "be respectful of the flag" as the colors are being presented? Because if that's the case, most in the crowd were not "adults."
Does it mean that you realize there are other people in the world besides yourself? Because if it does, there were no "adults" in that room, as no one cared about anything but making sure they're graduate was KNOWN.
I saw adults today... 201 of them. And none of them were in the crowd. No, I saw 201 adults walk across the stage today. 201 barely 18-year-olds taught me what it means to be an adult.
Today, at my little brother's graduation, I realized that being an adult means smiling when your name is called for various awards. Being an adult means silence for a fallen teacher. It means hugging your friends, maybe saying goodbye for the last time.
Today, these 201 students proved themselves as adults. They've shown me (and those in the crowd who won't realize it) that they have what it takes to make it in the real world.
But their parents scare me. Is this how they all started out? Were they all ready for the world, to tear open their dreams and spread them? Did they all become disrespectful children as they aged?
For now, I'll remain hopeful. Besides... my little brother is one of those adults!
Congratulations, little brother. You will do WONDERS with your life, Timmy... or should I say Timothy ;-)
I love you little bro, and I know you'll be more of an adult than the crowd will ever be.
First, a huge congrats to Timmy!!! I bet you're about to cry like a baby aren't you, BE? hehe. No worries, cry, cry away!!
Now.... "Were they all ready for the world, to tear open their dreams and spread them?" Does it say more about me that I read that as to tear open their legs and spread them or more about the sad state of people today?
As for the rest, I won't repeat myself into the ground on the current state of adults. I've bitched and ranted about that enough... I'll just say totally agree and leave it at that.
Again, congrats Timmy! And big sis :)
And since I can't find a have a tissue smiley... I leave you with this video that I totally borrowed from YouTube
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Free books need new home.
~Fallon~
"If I fall asleep with a pen in my hand, don't remove it - I might be writing in my dreams."- Pace
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WTF?!
I don't get it, but I want one! (a robot, that is... buahaha)
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As for you seeing "tear open their legs..." that's very possible, too. The one thing I forgot to mention is the people wearing outfits that put lingerie to shame... WTF?! It's high school graduation, not ladies night. The little curve at the bottom of your butt isn't supposed to show when you're wearing a skirt. The pink part of your nipple is PRIVATE. Ugh.
lol
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Your Tongue is a Rudder; It Steers the Whole Ship, Sends Your Words Past Your Lips or Keeps Them Safe Behind Your Teeth... [Brand New]
hehe. They were giving you tissues... only they didn't look like tissues (fricking plastic). Iwant one too, if only because they're cute.
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Free books need new home.
~Fallon~
"If I fall asleep with a pen in my hand, don't remove it - I might be writing in my dreams."- Pace
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hehe! i love them!
Thanks, Fallon. Now can I have a tissue dispensing adorable robot, PLEASE?!
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Your Tongue is a Rudder; It Steers the Whole Ship, Sends Your Words Past Your Lips or Keeps Them Safe Behind Your Teeth... [Brand New]
Is there a 1-800 number I can call? Monthly installments? Please tell me there's a way!
Oh. sh*t. I'm not buying anything for a year. Dammit dammit dammit! I WANT ONE!
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/ediblewoman
We can't own them
:((
But! They do have robot rentals... that's technically not a new purchase!
http://i-robot.jp (it's in Japanese)
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Free books need new home.
~Fallon~
"If I fall asleep with a pen in my hand, don't remove it - I might be writing in my dreams."- Pace
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That is the greatest thing next to toilet paper! I wish I could read Japanese. My computer doesn't even recognize the characters, so they show up as little boxes on the screen. I think I might have found one that's shaped like Barbie by clicking on the links, but I couldn't tell if it was actually a robot or not.
Click here to read about new ways to save money and the environment that you have never heard!
I know what you mean, it is hard to imagine that adults could be so conceited to only think of THEIR graduate when two hundred some others are graduating as well. My graduation from High school was May thirty first, and I have to say, there were some really rude adults, if they could be considered that.
I know my mom whistled when my name was called, but one whistle compared to a huge crowd hooting and hollaring is comparitively more respectful. I remember that day was actually kind of sad to me, because that meant that was the end of still being a true kid. Now I can only be a kid on my own time. I talked and hugged my friends, and said my goodbyes and wished them well. I smiled and laughed and fought back tears, and told people that I kind of wished that I still had one more year.
To tell the truth, some people, I really am worried about, I think they just went through High school to get it over with. Some though, I am not worried about, some I know will go far in the world. Myself, I am not worried about, I have always been a positive person, and that positiveness is what has gotten me through various stages of my life, (along with huge help from my best friend Meru, who is my twin sister, I swear) including the divorce between my parents.
Now that I think about it, if I had not gone through the things I had, perhaps I would not be as I am now. Maybe I would be, who knows, but I don't think my parents would be gung ho about me going to the college I am going to. Of course they are happy I am going, but it is an expensive school. It figures, I have always liked the expensive things without even trying. xD
I am who I am and who I am is someone unique.
My parents were very respectful... But my uncle embarrassed me. During the absolute silence before my name was read, my uncle yelled out "GO (my name)! WOOWOO!". Everyone cracked up. I turned bright red, and the principal made a comment about her knowing my name now. I was so embarrassed.
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http://progressiveu.org/062647-ohmigawd-did-you-hear
(Latest blog. )
Well congrats to your brother. Yeah I know what you mean. It happened when I graduated. When my name was called and I went up on stage, Everybody started yelling and cheeringfor me. When I walked off the stage, the same people were still cheering and the next two people that were called after me were looked over. It also happened with my fiance's cousin's graduation we just recently went to.
I guess each graduation is different. At my graduation, everyone was respectful and did not tune out the next person that was walking across the stage. For each student, we heard their first, middle, and last name, what kind of diploma they were receiving, and what college they would be attending in the fall. We were able to hear every that each speeker spoke. Everyone even sat respectfully in the crowd. I guess it depends on the school on what kind of graduation is presented, along with the different kind of support each student has from their parents. We even had time to give our parents a note thanking them for all they have done for us. An adult is sometimes someone who sets a good example for others, even if they are the youngest "adults".
And Congrats to your brother. All the hard work in high school paid off.
Congrats to your baby brother. I can't imagine how much pride you feel for him.
Adults acting childish can be a pretty scary thing, but hopefully those 201 graduates won't turn out to become "disrespectful children as they age". It's all about being able to set examples for others.
I hope my graduation in the coming year won't turn out to have a bunch of hollering and whooping adults who'll drown out the whole ceremony. D:
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http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/orochigenocide
". . . it is error upon error, clout upon clout, and our best virtue has for its occasion a superfluous and evitable wretchedness. Our life is frittered away by detail."
- Henry Thoreau
Don't get me wrong, I LOVE that people cheer for their graduates... for a minute. For a very quick "WOO!" Right after their name and before the next name. Heck, my family [and friends, which I didn't realize I had that many people who actually liked me until my name was called, haha] cheered and I loved the support... but if they were obnoxious and carried on, I would have been very upset with them.
The other thing was that they were trying so hard to be heard that during moments of silence, including the Presentation of the Colors and the national anthem, people were calling out their graduates names... I was surprised no one blew a blow horn when we had a moment of silence for a teacher who recently passed.
Keep setting a good example :)
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Your Tongue is a Rudder; It Steers the Whole Ship, Sends Your Words Past Your Lips or Keeps Them Safe Behind Your Teeth... [Brand New]
That seems to happen sometimes. People start their adult lives with a lot of good intentions, but then don't keep them, and become the moron adults we criticized our whole lives as intelligent teenagers and young adults. In fact, I wrote a blog about this.
Once again, you start out with a story that relates to your life, and switch it into "what the hell is everyone's problem?" mode. Loved it!
Everything you described about the disrespect of the crowd went on among my fellow graduates at my graduation. It was awful, and completely ruined the experience for me. Then I got to hear them making fun of my friends as they got their diplomas... that really ticked me off. Sigh... at least those in your brother's class are ready to face the world as adults... 80% of mine sure isn't.
And that's comin' at ya' from yer local redneck hippie.
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The Story of Myself