Why I Won't Be Crying at My Daughter's Graduation

I won't be crying tonight when my amazing daughter graduates from High School.  Don't get me wrong, I couldn't possibly be prouder of her; it's just not a time for tears.

I am more than ready for her to be done with High School and move on to the rest of her life, whatever that may be.

While the last four years were mostly good, there were some really bad times for her (and us) as well. We will miss the Show Choir and Marching Band and Concert Band, but we won't miss the bullying, drama and peer pressures.

It will be nice to get our weekends back.

I won't miss working all of the concession stands and ticket booths, or badgering folks to support this fund raiser or that.

I will miss the camaraderie we built with some of the other parents that were there in the trenches with us. I won't miss the ones who never left High School behind.

I'm lucky, our daughter will still be living with us next year, while she attends college. But that's not why I won't cry.

Our son moved out his Freshman year of college, that was four years ago.  We still see him about twice a month. We are thrilled that he still enjoys spending time with us and wants to remain part of our lives. Our daughter is the same way.

This is not an ending of our relationship, it is a moving forward of it. I'm not sad she's not my little girl any more, I'm happy she's my adult daughter who is also my friend.  She's still my baby, but she's also a strong, intelligent, beautiful woman who is kind and thoughtful and fun to hang out with.

I won't be crying because I'm happy she has the opportunity to move on, and that she chooses to remain a part of our family. I am excited for her for her new adventures and I am excited for us as well. I rejoice in the passing of this milestone for all of us.

Watch how we soar!