I lived through high school graduation and you can too

Two down and two to go.

I heard this statement more times than you'd guess during the past week. My family has just survived our first graduation week.

I say week because once the festivities start, they don't seem to end. Assemblies, baccalaureate practice, graduation practice, baccalaureate, graduation, senior church service, senior brunch...all that and we weren't even a family that had a party or celebration of our own. It got to the point where my kids were like, "Yeah, yeah. I've said goodbye already. Let's go."

And I learned a few things during this past week. As usual, I want to pass them along to you in a sort of "spread the wealth" type experience.

1. Even though my seniors did not feel like graduating high school was a big accomplishment, some people did.

2. These same people were offended that my kids did not order graduation invitations.

3. Being 18 and forgoing invitations because you feel that inviting someone who lives 2000 miles away is equal to printing on a card, "Send cash", does not make you admired by the person who lives 2000 miles away. Miss Manners was wrong on this one.
4. Air horns are not appropriate at graduations. (We were not the offenders on this point.)
5. Shorts, graphic t-shirts, or Hooters type outfits are also not appropriate at graduations. (Ditto on not being the offenders.)6. For the love of all that is sacred, turn the cell phones off.
7. A high school principal whose primary claim to fame is driving a camouflage pick-up truck to football games does not make a riveting graduation speaker.
8. You can get through without crying like Tammy Faye Bakker.

All you have to do is think about what great experiences lie ahead.