In the Blink of an Eye

Our son is graduating from college this weekend. It's so hard to believe! I have piles of memories from his childhood, yet it feels as though I turned my back for just a second and he grew from a baby to a man--in the blink of an eye.

I was buying cards for his graduating friends. I hadn't planned on getting my son a card. We have so much more than that in store for his celebration (I'll tell you about it later). But, as I reached for a funny greeting for one of the other men, my hand brushed a card that said, "To a Wonderful Son on His Graduation" (I don't suppose they have any that say, "To a Deadbeat Son").

I picked it up to peruse it's rhythmic phrases . . . and started to cry. At Target. In the middle of the card isle. Darn, I hate it when I do that! Luckily, these cards were down low, so I was on my haunches bent over. I contained myself before I was back in the upright position.

Yes, of course I'm proud of my son. I know first hand how much work is involved in the accomplishment of earning one's college degree. This college, in particular, has rigorous academic requirements. All seniors must submit a thesis paper and defend it before they're allowed to graduate--for their bachelor's degree.

I've read the titles of these papers in past newsletters and, honest to goodness, I have no idea what any of the seniors are talking about. Some were written in Latin or Greek. I asked my son to please write a thesis with a title that I can understand.

In March, he handed me his finished product and said, "Here, Mom, I thought you'd want to read this." Oh . . . great . . . thanks, honey! I was afraid to look. I glanced down, with one eye closed, and was pleased to read, "What Is A Man's Worth? An investigation into Kant's Claim that Men Are Ends in Themselves." I read it over and over until I got it. YES!

I opened up the spiral bound paper and landed on page five (of 23). This is what I read:

Kant makes it clear that the one acting should not have any inclination at all towards the object of action, whether that inclination is irrational or rational. He says, "Now, an action done from duty must altogether exclude the influence of inclination and therewith every object of the will." Thus, Kant thinks that, in order for one to be acting strictly according to duty, there can be no inclination of any kind towards the object of the action.

Do you think I would have understood this any better if I had read the first four pages? I don't think so. What joker taught him how to write like this anyway? Darn it! I think I just found one disadvantage to homeschooling. You can't blame the teacher! How is it humanly possible to write "inclination" four times in one short paragraph? He must have earned a higher grade for displaying that little talent. I guess the board that heard his defense was impressed enough to pass him.

Needless to say, my husband and I are extraordinarily proud of our son. Being that we were just 21 when he was born, we all grew up together--and my son doesn't seem to be too scarred from the experience, either. We feel so blessed to continue to be an important part of his life. Watching him graduate is the best Mother's Day present that he can possibly give me.

For all you moms out there--I hope that your Mother's Day is equally as rewarding. You deserve it!