Well, we did it. He did it. It was lovely. I spent a good part of the week worrying about when to arrive. We wanted good seats, you know. The gym opened at 10, an hour before the ceremony, and when we got there at 9:45 the line was already out the door. Still, we were about 8 rows back (and on the aisle, which was what I wanted for taking pictures). The chairs were darned uncomfortable, so we got up and moved around and chatted with people a lot to pass the time. Cal said the waiting was long for him too. A friend he hadn't mentioned much all year invited him to spend the night this week, and when we asked him about it Cal said, "Oh we were always friends, but we really got close after standing in line next to each other for FIVE HOURS."

It was fun to watch the room fill up. The entire Lower School comes to the 6th Grade Graduation, so it's quite an event. As we crept toward 11, the room was packed.

Right at 11, the kids started processing in...to Pomp and Circumstance, of course! That's Cal's homeroom teacher on the left there. Best part of his year. Cal kept his eyes down like that the whole time, and that surprised me. He's a pretty confident kid. Turns out, his best bud tackled him after their class picture that morning (and before the ceremony), and Cal had grass stains on both his knees. We couldn't see a thing, but he was worried.

The girls wore white dresses and the boys wore ties and blazers. Some in that Southern summer staple of seersucker, but Cal went with another Southern staple, blue blazer and khaki pants. They sat boy-girl-boy-girl in alphabetical order. They practiced standing up and sitting down by rows all week, and that's the Lower School director is standing in front; she's a delight!

"Will the second row please stand up?"

And it's official! Cal gets his "diploma" from the headmaster, shakes his hand and says, "Thank you very much." The smile of relief on his face is vast!

Once all the kids are through (and they sat down in tandem), we gave them a well-deserved standing ovation. Sixth grade is hard. They deserve some praise.

The headmaster of Cal's school is a wonderful and witty speaker (and a mean three-point shooter to boot). He noted that just a week earlier the real graduates, the class of 2012, sat in that very room as they prepared to leave this school forever. Dang. Six short, short years from now. He spoke again, once all the diplomas were handed out, and likened himself to Hoover Dam, holding back the tide of summer. We all chuckled at the truth of that comment (you could practically see the kids straining to push themselves out of their seats!), and then he paused and said, "It reminds me of Keats..." Now that got the real laugh! Couldn't you just picture yourself as a 12 year old kid, fresh out of lower school, and your headmaster wants to talk about Keats? His point was valid though, and it's one I often make. One of life's best pleasures is the pleasure of anticipation. I couldn't agree more.

What happened after that was a whirlwind. We lost Cal at the reception, but managed to snap a shot of him and his homeroom teacher. We ran him home and slammed some lunch in him before getting him to the 6th grade pool party. After the 6th grade pool party was baseball practice, and finally, finally home again.

He had a chat with his far-away grandparents, and finally, finally, this...

What he'd been waiting on all day.

Everybody chipped in, grandparents and parents alike, and gave this boy his wildest dream (even more than a phone?). Happy camper. He'd sleep with it if he could.

And then we had a party.

The tenor of this event changed considerably from when I first conceived it, but I'm trying to learn how to be flexible. Bottom line is that Callum felt celebrated and some of our favorite people were there with us. That's all that really matters, right?

Fried chicken, corn hole and iTunes gift cards. Who could ask for more?

One of the things we love about Callum's school is its emphasis on the whole child. They care as much about developing a kid's character as they do their academic skills. This can be a challenging concept for a 12 year old boy who is still managing to figure out how to control his impulsiveness all the while juggling predicate nominatives and pre-algebra. Cal's headmaster said to those kids at graduation (aside from emphasizing reading for at least an hour a day), "Be a Bulldog." That's a concept they can get. He knows what it means to "be a bulldog." To have honor and commitment and respect for himself and others. As long as he continues to strive to be a bulldog, who wouldn't be proud?

Dear Callum,

Well my love, you did it. Another year in the books. I'm not going to lie and say that this year was all unicorns and rainbows and birds singing. There were parts of this year that were darn hard weren't there? You had a lot of challenges this year - we all did - but there were a lot of good parts too.

When we made the decision, back in fourth grade, to switch schools, one of the things that we loved about your new school was that 6th grade was still in lower school, with middle school starting in 7th grade. It's a special part of lower school, the 6th grade, off in its own area and almost a pre-middle school. You change classes and have a quad and cubbies, new friends and exams. All good stuff, even the exams!

You had an amazing homeroom teacher who was also your science teacher and a history teacher that inspired a love of the subject that Papa and I can't wait to watch unfold. There was a lot of hard work. A heavy homework load (heavy enough that reading for pleasure went by the wayside a bit this year), organizational struggles, and challenging, frustrating math.

Oh math. We're not helping you out much genetically there, I'm afraid. But we'll get it figured out.

Your teachers love your inquisitive nature and your cheerful spirit (even if they wish that sprit might talk a little less often in class...). They say you're a great writer, and we're not surprised to hear this. You loved almost every minute of your research project on Patton, and you did well on it too. We're proud of all your hard work this year.

Out of school, you really spread your wings too. Keeping old friends and finding new. You got braces over the summer and learned how to tie a tie.

You went to your first dance. And we went to your second dance (yikes!).

As ever, your choice of Halloween costume was creative and fun. I so appreciate how you always want to do something unique and different and try something new. We took some trips, traveling to Charlottesville and Charleston. You still love traveling to new places and are always willing to try new foods. You developed a love of photography, and I'm really looking forward to exploring that love with you more this summer.

You adore your dogs and your iPod; I often see your face bathed in its glow. When your iPod cracked this spring, you were nearly devastated, but you managed until we got you a new one.

I might have mentioned that you're always willing to try something new...

Last summer you told us that you didn't think you wanted to play lacrosse any longer and you wanted to give baseball a go. To say we were stunned is almost an understatement. But we gave fall ball a try, and you know what? You were right again. Baseball is your thing.

It's this baseball thing that makes me think you're one of the bravest people I know. Papa feels that way too. The kids who are your age and playing now have been playing for years, and still you weren't afraid to go out there and try something new. You wanted to do it badly enough that you didn't mind being the new guy. You didn't mind flying solo in a sea of strangers. You struggled, but you were better than any of us expected, I think. People had no idea that you hadn't picked up a ball or bat until this summer. When you got your first hit (a double!), I nearly floated out of the stands! Your coach gave you the game ball, and I don't think I've ever seen you smile so big.

Baseball has been a large part of our lives this spring too, and you know what? I like it that way. You're learning a lot about the game and a lot about yourself. We'll be sad when this season is over, but we're looking forward to lots of baseball watching in the years to come.

You know Cal (And when you started baseball, you wanted to be called Cal. It's tricky, but we're trying to honor that.), what I love about you is that in the midst of all these changes, you are still so essentially you. One of the administrators in your Lower School told Papa last year that at the start of 6th grade you're all just kids, but by the spring, POOF, you're teenagers. Teenagers. Oh. God. I have all summer to get used to that idea, at least.

Yes, you're so essentially you...a good friend, a kid with an interested and inquisitive mind who'll try anything. You're brave and competitive and loyal and kind.

Watching you mature into such a fine young man is a delight, and we couldn't be prouder of you. We have a great summer ahead of us, and I think you're really going to like Middle School.

In fact, I think you'll love it.

It's Graduation Day. Congratulations, dear. We love you. Mama and Papa

be a bulldog {life}

graduation day {life}