1 Down, 3 To Go

Junior Bear graduated from high school yesterday, and I took him to his dorm at university this morning.

It's been a long row to how with him, but he made it.  We were extremely lucky in that we got him into a good school.  Out of a graduating class of almost 450, there were 27 students who finished with a 4.0 GPA.  Junior wasn't one of those, but he graduated. 

His grandparents came down from Minnesota to see the ceremony and spend some time with him.  I was worried that seeing my ex-inlaws after so many years would be uncomfortable, but we kept the small talk light and I enjoyed seeing them.  Junior's mom couldn't make it, so I was sure to take pictures and send them along to her.

His university is close, so we packed up the truck this morning and had a pleasant drive up to Indiana.  He will be sharing an apartment in the dorm with 3 other young men this summer, but he has his own room.  I was worried that he would out-slob any roommates, but after seeing the state of the room, I have no worries that he will be even more of a slob than them.  The dorms are brand new, so they're very up-to-date and nice.   After unloading all of his boxes and bags into his room, we headed up the street for groceries.  I stocked him up for a month or so, and I'll go back up and refill him in July.  Hopefully by then he'll have a job and can provide for himself outside of the occasional boost from his mother and me.

I don't feel any of the emotions that people have reported to me about his moving on.  I'm just glad he graduated and has a plan to get a good education.  I suppose the first time I try to do something I enjoyed doing with him or when I clean out his room to start it's re-purposing as a man cave it'll hit me.

So, good luck Junior Bear.  You're finally free from The Man.