My least favorite time of year

Those of you who have been reading my blog for awhile know that my least favorite time of year isn’t any of the sweltering Arizona days that linger for months somewhere  between 115 degrees and an all out inferno. No, although my dislike for the summer months is right up there with my dislike of war, famine, and ticks. (Or vampire spiders, as I call them). My least favorite time of the year is graduation.

It all started nine years ago when my oldest daughter graduated. Yes, I was happy for her. (Top five percent of her class and going to her first choice of universities) But the thing is, she moved out and only came back for short visits. It was like losing my best friend. It was like losing a chunk of my heart. I saw no reason to celebrate the event with cakes, or balloons, or anything else. Would you buy a special cake if you had a lung removed? No, no you wouldn’t because sane people don’t celebrate sad events.

Ever since then, I’ve had a severe loathing for graduation decorations and graduation time in general. I get sad and panicky even when I don’t have another child graduating–which didn’t happen again until three years ago when my oldest son graduated. I cried for a day–and he was staying home to go to community college.

So now it’s graduation time again. This is a big one. My twins are graduating. I have done a good job pretending it won’t happen. Every time I go to a store, I cover my eyes and walk through the aisles, shouting loudly, “La la la! I can’t see you! You don’t exist!”

(You can see my other blogs–and the cakes I think should be made for graduation–at the links below.)

My son recently did a comic strip for his school newspaper on graduation. I’m glad to see I’ve distilled a healthy dislike for the event.

COMIC 152 altered

 

The graduation blues

Why I hate graduation decorations

19 comments

  1. Tiana Smith
    May 22, 2014 at 10:22 am

    Nice comic 🙂 My kiddo is only three, so I can’t imagine him graduating, but i know it’ll be here soon enough.

  2. Janette Rallison
    May 22, 2014 at 12:53 pm

    You can prepare now by walking through the grocery aisles singing, “I can’t see you!” And as an added bonus, people will get out of your way quickly.

  3. Jennifer
    May 22, 2014 at 10:21 pm

    So with you on this one. First one graduates and then heads off on a mission in a few months, next one is just two years behind him. I love the comic strip, but pretty much everything makes me cry these days, including those stupid graduation balloons.

    • Janette Rallison
      May 23, 2014 at 4:02 pm

      Exactly. Where are the grim reaper balloons?

  4. Rosalyn
    May 23, 2014 at 11:56 am

    Your son is very talented! My kids are still so far away from graduation (10 years) that I can pretend it won’t happen, but I know it will. Still, I’m glad you let your daughter go to BYU, because she’s awesome, and I wouldn’t have met her if you didn’t. 🙂

    • Janette Rallison
      May 23, 2014 at 4:02 pm

      She is pretty awesome!

  5. Betsy
    May 24, 2014 at 4:17 pm

    Yeah, I hate graduation as well! Now all my babies are gone! Well, almost.

    • Janette Rallison
      May 25, 2014 at 9:07 pm

      How did we get so old? I’m sure I didn’t agree to this.

  6. Debra Erfert
    May 24, 2014 at 4:18 pm

    Thanks for donating a book to Betsy’s book launch! I’ll need to bookmark your blog for future reading. 🙂 Gotta run!

    • Janette Rallison
      May 25, 2014 at 9:08 pm

      Betsy is awesome!

  7. Cynthia Bissell
    May 24, 2014 at 4:19 pm

    Love your site .

    • Janette Rallison
      May 25, 2014 at 9:08 pm

      Thanks!

  8. Patricia
    May 24, 2014 at 4:20 pm

    I agree with you about the time of the year…I am a native of Arizona and the heat has nothing to do with why I dislike the time of the year…I teach school and is that time changes too much. My son is attending college and is now a Sr. and I worry when it is all over where will he go…he is my best friend. The other statement is that the children I have taught all move on and it is harder to stay in touch with them.

    • Janette Rallison
      May 25, 2014 at 9:09 pm

      Exactly. It feels like I’m losing a succession of best friends. Messy best friends, but still best friends.

  9. Laura Watkins
    May 24, 2014 at 4:21 pm

    Love that responsibility bear!!!

    • Janette Rallison
      May 25, 2014 at 9:09 pm

      He’s hit me many times.

  10. Beedubbs
    May 25, 2014 at 12:44 am

    My mom is the same! She freaked out too, especially with her oldest. But I think that the marriage part really did her in…Now she swears she won’t let any of us go!

  11. Janette Rallison
    May 25, 2014 at 9:09 pm

    Your mom is wise.

  12. Laura
    June 18, 2014 at 8:48 pm

    Love the comic! Made me laugh. Thanks for sharing.

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