Senior Ring

Yesterday, my "baby" son, Dillan, who is 16 1/2 came sauntering down the elementary hall with a quirky smile upon his face....he raised his right hand high into the air, as if to greet me with a high five, so I in return raised my right hand to "high five" him. Hands met in the air...and he ever so slightly grasped my hand, as our hands fell to our sides. It was a good feeling...one I don't feel very often...sixteen year old boys don't really like to "touch" their mother's hand...that is an activity that disappeared years ago. Once upon a time, my little boy didn't mind grasping my hand. We would walk hand in hand...swinging them between us as we discussed why butterflies flutter from flower to flower or maybe just talking about what he might want to be when he grew up. I wanted to hug him...but I knew better than to try that...you know he is sixteen and he really doesn't like to hug his mom(even though I want to squeeze him like he's still a baby!).

Anyway, he turned to walk with me back down the hall to my classroom and he began to ask me what I had planned...hmmm...this might mean he has homework that he needs some help with (don't let it be math or Spanish!)...but his request came as a big surprise! He wanted me to go help him pick out his Senior ring. I got a lump in my throat...I didn't know it was time to order Senior rings...can he really be old enough?..."Yes," I tell myself. Of course he's old enough. He has his driver's license...he's a Junior in high school...could he really be ready for a Senior ring? It seems like just yesterday he was born... He was such a fat baby boy...rolls and rolls of fat around his legs...he was full of "sugar" and he smelled like heaven to me. But look at him now...he's taller than I am and he is slim and handsome...he doesn't have chubby little cheeks that drip with sugar...his face is that of a young man, not a bouncing baby!

And what was it that he wanted? Oh, yes, a SENIOR RING! I quizzed him and asked him if he really wanted a Senior ring. "Oh, yes," he replied. "Everyone is getting one!" Well, I wanted to retort the old saying, "Well if everyone was jumping off the roof, would you?", but I knew better. He wouldn't find that humorous...he was excited about the prospect of being a Senior! How could I refuse? We climbed into my dirty black Honda and cruised over to the high school to see what we could find.

There were other parents standing in line waiting to make the purchase of "a lifetime"...all of us had these weird looks on our faces and I'm sure every one's heart was skipping a beat...just wondering how we got to this place! We all agreed that "just yesterday we were starting 1st grade!". Luckily, the people who waited on us knew all the right questions to ask. That made it much easier for Dillan to make his decision. I could tell the man who waited on him, could probably fill out the form with his eyes closed. It was so nice to have him making his suggestions. Otherwise, we may have still been sitting there going through the catalogue trying to decide on just which symbols should be placed on the Senior ring! Dillan chose the least expensive metal (thank you!), black onyx stone placed in the crestview style. He has 2011 on one side and DILLAN on the other side of the stone. He placed a bulldog beneath his name and chose the symbols for basketball, baseball, and football ("I'm playing football next year" he told me) to be placed beneath his graduating year. I wrote a check for $50.00....to be followed by $300.00 more before Christmas.

We turned to leave...and I asked Dillan if he was pleased with his choice. He was, he said. I'm pleased, too. My baby boy has grown up into a funny, appreciative, and kind young man. I'm pleased because he knew he could come to me to ask for his Senior ring. I got to help him pick it out...he valued my opinion and that gave me such comfort! As we left the high school, I wished I could grab his hand and discuss the butterflies and what he wanted to be...but I knew I couldn't. I would just walk next to him...."Thanks," he said... I walked away, but turned to look at him as I got to the corner of the school so I could get one more glimpse of him. I caught his eye as he was climbing into his white pickup....there it was...a million dollar smile and a thumb's up.....now if he can just wait for the Senior ring to get here!